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COMMUNITY  TRAINING  SCHOOL  SERIES  NORMAN  E.  RICHARDSON,  Editor 


A  History  of 
Religious  Education  in 
Recent  Times 


BY 


ARLO  AYRES  BROWN 

President  of  the  University  of  Chattanooga 


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THE  ABINGDON  PRESS 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1923,  by 
ARLO  AYRES  BROWN 

All  Rights  Reserved 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


First  Edition  Printed  January,  1923 
Reprinted  November,  1924 


To 

MY  COLLEAGUES  IN  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 
WHOSE  EARNEST  PURPOSE,  SACRIFICIAL 
LABOR,  AND  WARM  FRIENDSHIP  HAVE  BEEN 
AN  UNFAILING  SOURCE  OF  INSPIRATION 


( 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/historyofreligioOObrow 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

Editor’s  Introduction .  n 

Author’s  Introduction .  13 

I.  Forerunners  of  Modern  Religious  Education .  15 


The  importance  of  education.  Jewish  Education  in  Re¬ 
ligion.  Teaching  methods  of  Jesus.  Development  of  a 
System  of  Christian  Education.  Significant  Early  Epochs. 
Early  catechetical  schools — The  school  of  Alexandria 
— Brilliant  teachers  of  second  and  third  centuries — 
Monastic  and  cathedral  schools — Court  schools — Rise 
of  mediaeval  universities.  Reformation  Schools.  The 
Jesuit  schools  of  the  Counter  Reformation — Later 
Reformation  schools.  Summary. 

II.  Early  Religious  Education  in  America .  29 

The  Influence  of  the  Reformation.  Condition  of  educa¬ 
tion  in  England.  Three  Types  of  School  Policy  in  the 
Colonies.  Rise  and  Decline  of  Schools  in  New  England. 
Types  of  schools — Textbook  materials — The  New  Eng¬ 
land  Primer — Separate  schools  of  religion  practically 
unknown.  Summary. 

III.  Religious  Education  from  1784-1860 .  43 

The  Rise  of  the  Sunday-School  Movement.  First  Sun¬ 
day  schools  in  America — Rise  of  Sunday-school  Unions. 
Movements  in  General  Education.  Elimination  of 
religious  materials — Development  of  free  tax-supported 
public-school  system — Training  for  public-school 
teachers.  Sunday-School  Development.  Missionary  ex¬ 
pansion — Typical  Sunday  schools — Methods  of  study — 
Direct  Bible  study — Curriculum  in  best  schools — The 
Sunday-school  concert.  Teacher  Training.  Sunday- 
school  aims.  Summary. 

IV.  The  Sunday  Schools  from  1860-1900 .  67 

Advance  Begins  with  Teacher  Training.  A  great  for¬ 
ward  step.  National  Sunday  School  Conventions.  The 

7 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

International  Lesson  System — International  Sunday- 
school  Conventions.  Aims  and  Ideals  of  the  Period. 
Classification  of  scholars — Later  titles  of  divisions — 
Architecture — Teaching  methods.  Influence  of  Pesta- 
lozzi ,  Froebel,  and  Herbart  through  the  Public  Schools. 
Pioneers  in  reform — Beginnings  of  new  experimentation. 
Summary.  Success  and  failure. 

V.  The  Development  of  Sunday-School  Curricula  ....  87 

The  Curriculum  Always  Changing.  Curriculum  of  the 
colonial  period.  Chaotic  State  of  Curriculum.  1784-1860 
— Significant  progress — “Verse-a-Day  System  a  Handi¬ 
cap” — Influence  of  denominational  unions  and  publish¬ 
ing  houses — Steps  toward  graded  instruction.  Prepara¬ 
tion  for  the  International  Uniform  Lessons.  International 
Lesson  Committee  created — The  first  cycle  of  lessons — 
Significance  of  the  International  Uniform  Lesson  System 
— The  Primary  Union — The  New  Jersey  School  of 
Methods — Dr.  Blakeslee’s  Lessons.  A  Growing  Demand 
for  a  Better  Curriculum.  Leadership  of  Mrs.  J.  Wood- 
bridge  Barnes — Graded  Lessons  Conference — Relations 
to  the  International  Lesson  Committee — Assistance  of 
denominational  editors — Leadership  within  the  Interna¬ 
tional  Association — The  Boston  Conference— Important 
battles  for  principles — The  battle  over  admitting  extra- 
biblical  material — Pressure  from  the  denominations — 
Other  graded  series.  Later  Developments.  The  Lesson 
Committee  reorganized — Revisions  in  prospect — Results 
of  investigation.  Summary. 

VI.  The  Evolution  of  the  Teacher-Training  Move¬ 
ment .  129 

Early  Stages  of  Development.  Rise  of  the  State  normal 
schools — Early  appeals  for  training  of  Sunday-school 
teachers — Early  normal  courses — “The  Sunday  School 
Teachers’  Institute” — The  work  of  R.  G.  Pardee — Slow 
progress  up  to  1866 — The  awakening.  An  Era  of  Great 
Advance.  The  Chautauqua  movement — Success  and 
failure — causes  of  failure.  Unrest  and  Experimentation. 
Textbooks  of  1890-1910 — First  standard  and  advanced 
standard  courses — Need  for  revision — Training  courses 

8 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

for  primary  teachers — Appraisal  of  standards  in  1914 — 
Revision  of  standards — New  standards — Denominational 
courses.  Means  for  Teacher  Training.  Training  by 
correspondence — Training  institutes — New  Jersey  Sum¬ 
mer  School — Training  in  higher  institutions — Achieve¬ 
ment  in  promoting  teacher  training.  Summary. 

VII.  Brief  Account  of  Promotional  Agencies  of  Re¬ 
ligious  Education . 

Earliest  Promoters  of  the  Modern  Sunday  School. 
American  Sunday-School  Union — National  Sunday- 
school  conventions — International  Sunday-school  con¬ 
ventions — Organization  of  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Association — Organized  State  Sunday-school 
associations.  The  World's  Sunday-School  Association. 
Program  and  influence  of  the  Association — Marion 
Lawrance  and  Frank  L.  Brown — Organization.  The 
Religious  Education  Association.  Influence  of  the  Re¬ 
ligious  Education  Association.  Rise  of  Denominational 
Interest.  Influence  of  Pestalozzi,  Froebel,  and  Herb  art. 
Effect  of  new  principles  upon  the  curriculum.  Rise  of 
the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations. 
Reorganization  of  the  International  Lesson  Committee 
— Denominational  agencies  quicken  interest  in  religious 
education — Necessity  for  united  effort  and  common 
supervision — Reorganization  begun — Complete  merger 
— Achievements  of  the  Sunday-School  Council — Achieve¬ 
ments  of  the  International  Sunday-School  Association. 
Summary. 

VIII.  Beginnings  of  Week-Day  Religious  Instruction  . . . 
Difficulties  Inherent  in  Public-School  System.  Time 
schedules — Daily  vacation  Bible  schools — Typical 
schedule — The  Vaughn  type — Growing  movement.  Ex¬ 
periments  in  Week-Day  Religious  Instruction.  North 
Dakota  plan  for  high  school  credit — Colorado  plan — The 
Gary  church  schools — Significance  of  the  Gary-school 
plan  and  Gary  church  school  plan — The  Van  Wert  plan 
— The  Batavia  plan — Utah  plan  of  religious  education 
for  high-school  students.  A  Survey  of  the  Religious 
Education  Association.  Legal  aspects — Courses  of  study 

9 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

used — Findings  of  the  Convention  of  the  Religious  Edu¬ 
cation  Association.  Most  Difficult  Problems.  Problems 
of  leadership  and  finance — Bible  teachers  in  public 
schools.  Summary. 

IX.  Religious  Education  in  Higher  Institutions  of 

Learning .  228 

Evanston  Sunday-School  Institute.  Early  colleges  in 
America — Rise  of  the  State  universities — State  institu¬ 
tions  prepare  teachers  for  public  schools.  Denomina¬ 
tional  Colleges  Also  Prepare  Teachers  for  the  State  but 
Not  for  the  Church.  A  surve}?-  of  present  conditions — 
Reasons  for  failure  to  meet  the  churches’  needs — Reli¬ 
gious  achievements  of  church  colleges.  Development  of 
Bible  Study  and  Religious  Education.  Influence  of 
Psychologists — Influence  of  the  Religious  Education 
Association — Theological  seminaries  and  colleges — Re¬ 
ligious  education  at  State  universities — Wesley  founda¬ 
tion,  University  of  Illinois — The  college  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  Graduate  Departments  of  Religious  Educa¬ 
tion  in  Universities.  Commissions  on  Religious  Education 
in  Colleges.  Summary. 

X.  Present  Tendencies  in  Religious  Education . 258 

A  new  appreciation  of  need.  Adequate  Motivation 
Requires  Religion.  Direct  teaching  of  religion  a  necessity 
— Separation  and  cooperation  between  church  and 
state.  The  Principal  Agencies.  The  Sunday  school — 
Week-day  church  schools — Future  of  the  Sunday  schools 
— The  Christian  college — Graduate  schools  of  religion — 

The  Christian  home.  Assets  as  Well  as  Liabilities.  The 
problem  of  leadership.  Summary.  Debt  to  England, 
Canada,  and  other  countries — Limitations  of  this  study 
— The  history  in  brief — Success  depends  upon  three 
factors — Unified  system,  but  dual  control — The  will  to 
conquer  by  love  and  service. 

Index... .  277 


IG 


EDITOR’S  INTRODUCTION 


In  preparing  the  material  for  this  text  the  author 
has  not  been  concerned  chiefly  with  a  compilation  of 
all  the  available  historical  data  of  the  modern  religious 
education  movement.  His  purpose  has  been  rather 
such  an  interpretation  of  this  data  as  would  be  of  great¬ 
est  service  to  the  student  who  is  interested  in  the  func¬ 
tional  aspect  of  the  movement.  The  emphasis  has 
been  upon  the  significance  of  religious  education  as  a 
challenging  field  of  service  and  as  marking  a  meaningful 
epoch  in  the  historical  development  of  the  Protestant 
Church.  The  demand  that  the  further  Christianization 
of  the  present  social  order  be  brought  about  through 
the  adoption  of  educational  methods  has  crystallized 
into  permanent  institutions  and  has  greatly  influenced 
the  technique  of  church  work.  The  purpose  of  this  text 
is  to  note  the  historical  evolution  of  the  religious  educa¬ 
tion  concept  and  to  show  these  new  forces  at  work. 
It  is  not  the  history,  but,  rather,  a  functional  history 
of  religious  education  in  modern  times. 

The  movement,  though  of  comparatively  recent  origin 
in  its  present  form,  has  acquired  considerable  practical 
wisdom.  It  has  experimented  with  policies  and  leaders 
with  the  result  that  certain  empirical  values  have  been 
created.  It  has  a  history  that  is  worthy  of  careful  study. 
Any  student  of  modern  church  history  or  any  one 
interested  in  the  subject  of  religious  leadership  will 
find  this  historical  study  illuminating  and  valuable. 

Norman  E.  Richardson. 


ii 


' 


' 


\ 


■ 


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I 


' 


_ _ . 


AUTHOR’S  INTRODUCTION 


The  worker  in  religious  education  has  his  supreme 
opportunity  to-day.  The  threatened  breakdown  of 
modern  civilization  because  of  individual  and  organ¬ 
ized  selfishness  has  led  to  a  universal  desire  to  develop 
the  motive  of  unselfish  service.  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was 
the  most  illustrious  exponent  of  that  motive  ever  known. 
Furthermore,  the  religion  which  centers  about  his 
revelation  of  God  the  Father  has  been  the  most  power¬ 
ful  factor  of  the  ages  in  helping  men  to  develop  this 
motive  and  to  express  it  in  conduct. 

Men  agree  that  if  his  teachings  can  once  become 
universally  accepted  and  actually  applied  to  world 
problems,  the  world  will  move  forward  to  lasting  peace 
and  prosperity.  Education  is  the  method  by  which  « 
men  come  to  understand  the  essential  facts  and  to  estab¬ 
lish  habits  of  right  social  living.  Successful  Christian 
education  universally  applied  would  salvage  what  is  best 
in  our  present  civilization  and  prepare  the  race  for 
achievements  better  than  the  world  has  yet  known. 

One  of  the  principal  handicaps  to  this  end  lies  in  the 
fact  that  so  many  men  and  women  refuse  to  apply 
themselves  diligently  to  a  study  of  religious  facts.  They 
refuse  to  analyze  scientifically  the  religious  movements 
of  the  past  and  present,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  value 
of  God-consciousness  applied  to  the  learning  process. 

This  book  is  offered  as  a  humble  attempt  to  show 
what  religious  education  has  done  to  mold  conduct 
within  a  particular  region  and  period,  what  means  it 
has  used,  and  how  these  have  been  modified  by  the 

13 


AUTHOR’S  INTRODUCTION 


social  movements  of  their  day.  One  of  the  principal 
difficulties  of  a  historian  is  to  get  a  true  perspective. 

Frankly,  the  writer  has  tried  to  be  fair  and  accurate 
but  not  wholly  impartial.  He  has  set  definite  limits 
for  his  discussion.  His  aim  has  been  to  stimulate  action 
rather  than  simply  to  impart  information.  A  wealth 
of  interesting  and  significant  details  has  been  omitted. 
The  discussion  has  been  practically  limited  to  describ¬ 
ing  the  main  stream  of  religious  education  developed 
for  the  children  and  youth  in  the  Protestant  churches  • 
of  the  United  States. 

It  is  designed  for  popular  reading  as  well  as  for  class  * 
study.  A  great  advance  in  the  development  of  religious 
education  cannot  come  until  many  people  understand 
the  facts  which  have  brought  it  to  its  present  oppor¬ 
tunity.  No  one  can  be  more  conscious  of  the  failures 
of  this  book  than  the  writer.  But  if  it  assists  any  reader 
to  understand  a  great  movement  and  to  find  his  place 
in  the  movement,  the  work  will  not  have  been  in  vain. 

Acknowledgment  is  gratefully  made  to  publishers  for 
permissions  to  use  material  from  their  books,  to  col¬ 
leagues  and  friends  who  have  contributed  many  help¬ 
ful  suggestions,  and  finally  to  the  editors  and  their 
assistants  who  by  their  painstaking  helpfulness  have 
made  this  book  possible. 

Arlo  Ayres  Brown. 

University  of  Chattanooga,  December  5,  1922. 


14 


CHAPTER  I 


FORERUNNERS  OF  MODERN  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION 

The  mystery  of  human  life,  how  it  originated  and 
how  it  develops,  is  the  most  important  problem  with 
which  the  race  deals.  To  the  man  of  religious  faith  life 
comes  from  God.  It  is  a  sacred  trust  committed  to  the 
individual  for  his  use  in  helping  the  world  during  a 
limited  period.  It  is  surrounded  by  ample  resources, 
but  it  grows  satisfactorily  only  when  the  individual 
masters  the  laws  of  life  and  uses  wisely  his  God-given 
resources. 

The  importance  of  education. — Only  one  class  of 
thoughtful  persons  can  be  found  who  willfully  ignore 
education.  This  is  the  company  of  people  who  consider 
that  the  development  of  life  is  either  an  accident  or 
that  it  is  entirely  a  miracle  in  which  intelligent  human 
cooperation  is  not  required.  Many  thoughtlessly  or 
impatiently  belittle  the  importance  of  educational 
processes,  but  the  well-informed  man  knows  that  every 
great  forward  movement  of  history  depends  upon 
education,  and  that  every  life  which  comes  to  maturity 
of  its  powers  must  do  so  through  the  processes  of  educa¬ 
tion. 

Religion  has  always  relied  upon  educational  methods 
of  one  sort  or  another  to  propagate  itself.  And  the 
religion  developed  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  has 
been  particularly  dependent  upon  them.  In  no  period 
has  the  interest  in  religious  education  ever  been  com- 

15 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


mensurate  with  the  need,  nor  have  the  materials  been 
well  enough  organized  and  the  technique  of  teaching 
sufficiently  developed.  But  the  fact  that  the  ancient 
Hebrews,  together  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  Saint  Paul, 
relied  principally  upon  educational  methods  to  propagate 
their  religious  ideals  is  too  well  known  to  require  proof. 

JEWISH  EDUCATION  IN  RELIGION 

The  two  outstanding  precedents,  pointing  to  universal 
education  in  the  fundamentals  of  our  Christian  religion, 
are  the  example  of  the  Jewish  nation  and  the  example 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Where  can  a  more  stirring  call 
to  universal  religious  education  be  found  than  in  the 
following  verses  from  Deuteronomy,  which  constitute 
the  “Shema”  and  are  taught  to  every  boy  and  girl  in  a 
religious  Jewish  home  or  school?  “Hear,  O  Israel: 
Jehovah  our  God  is  one  Jehovah:  and  thou  shalt  love 
Jehovah  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy  might.  And  these  words  which  I 
command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  upon  thy  heart;  and 
thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  children,  and 
shall,  talk  of  them  when  thou  sitteth  in  thy  house,  and 
when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest 
down,  and  when  thou  risest  up.  And  thou  shalt  bind 
them  for  a  sign  upon  thy  hand,  and  they  shall  be  for 
frontlets  between  thine  eyes.  And  thou  shalt  write 
them  upon  the  door  posts  of  thy  house,  and  upon  thy 
gates.”1 

When  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  born  this  injunction  had 
been  carried  out  for  centuries,  first  in  the  home,  then 
in  the  synagogue  schools,  and,  for  more  advanced 
students,  in  the  rabbinical  schools.  The  strongest 
circumstantial  evidence  indicates  that  Jesus  himself  was 

1  Deut.  6.  4-9* 

16 


FORERUNNERS 


carefully  taught  by  all  of  these  agencies.2  In.  his  day  it 
was  customary  to  have  a  preaching  service  in  the 
synagogue  on  Sabbath  morning  and  a  teaching  question- 
and-answer  service  on  Sabbath  afternoon,  in  addition 
to  synagogue  school  sessions  during  the  week.  It  was 
doubtless  such  instruction  which  enabled  him  to  ask 
and  answer  questions  so  brilliantly  in  the  Temple  at 
twelve  years  of  age.3 4 

Teaching  methods  of  Jesus. — It  is  not  necessary  to 
cite  a  particular  passage  to  show  that  Jesus  expected 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth  to  be  developed  by  teach¬ 
ing.  His  own  methods  were  preeminently  those  of  a 
teacher.  His  technique  is  an  example  of  the  most 
approved  pedagogical  methods  of  our  own  day.  As  an 
illustration  compare  Jesus  instructing  the  woman  of 
Samaria  with  McMurray’s  “four  tests  of  a  recitation/ 74 

The  clearest  proof  of  his  choice  as  to  method  is  shown 
in  his  effort  to  avoid  the  multitude,  whom  he  might 
easily  have  swayed  by  his  eloquence,  so  that  he  could 
have  more  time  for  the  instructing  of  twelve  men. 

The  writer  has  no  thought  of  claiming  that  Jesus  did 
not  resort  to  continuous  discourse  as  well  as  to  teaching 
by  the  question  and  answer  (catechetical  and  discus¬ 
sion)  method,  or  that  he  did  not  expect  his  disciples  to 
sway  multitudes  with  eloquent,  continuous  discourse. 
The  propagation  of  Christianity  requires  both  methods. 
Jesus  used  both  and  his  immediate  disciples  used  both. 
The  contention  of  this  chapter  is  simply  that  our  Lord’s 
chief  reliance  was  placed  upon  the  question-and-answer 
discussion  method,  supplemented  by  another  teaching 
method — story-telling. 


2  Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology,  vol.  i,  pp.  17S. 

*  Trumbull — Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday  School,  pp.  isff. 

4  See  McMurray — Elementary  School  Standards  for  these  tests. 

1 7 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


This  was  the  approved  teaching  method  of  his  day, 
having  been  used  by  Socrates  and  other  Greek  philoso¬ 
phers,  and  by  the  Jewish  rabbis.  It  has  always  been 
the  most  successful  teaching  method,  although  abused 
and  therefore  seriously  defective  in  some  periods  of 
history. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  A  SYSTEM  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 

This  book,  however,  is  not  a  history  of  any  particular 
method.  It  is  an  effort  to  trace  the  development  of  a 
system  of  universal  education  in  fundamental  Christian 
truths  in  one  country  and  especially  within  a  limited 
period.  But  in  order  to  understand  the  developments  in 
modern  times  we  must  have  a  brief  glimpse  of  their 
sources  and  antecedents. 

Christianity  makes  its  appeal  to  the  whole  life.  Jesus 
expressed  his  goal  for  the  individual  by  the  phrase 
“abundant  life.”  He  indicated  that  such  a  life  is  to 
come  by  loving  God  completely  as  Father  and  one’s 
neighbor  as  oneself.  The  fatherhood  of  God  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man  were  the  ideas  which  he  came  to 
make  clear  and  to  establish  as  the  guiding  principles  of 
all  men.  No  task  could  be  more  difficult.  And  the 
student  of  history  who  accepts  this  interpretation  of  his 
task  is  obliged  to  form  one  of  two  conclusions,  either 
he  expected  this  transformation  of  selfish  men  into 
brothers  to  come  instantaneously  by  miracle,  or  else  he 
expected  to  use  the  long,  slow  processes  of  education 
until  the  human  family  should  some  day  conduct  their 
lives  according  to  Christian  standards.  The  process  of 
education  does  not  exclude  great  emotional  crises  and 
victories,  even  unexplainable  transformations  in  human 
lives.  Emotional  development  is  a  very  vital  aspect 
of  education.  At  the  same  time  men  must  know  how 

18 


FORERUNNERS 


to  be  brotherly.  They  must  know  the  principles  and 
factors  which  are  to  guide  them  as  citizens  of  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  (or  democracy  of  God),  and  Jesus  himself 
pleaded  for  skill  in  service  when  he  warned  his  disciples 
that  athe  children  of  evil  in  this  generation  are  wiser 
than  the  children  of  light.” 

SIGNIFICANT  EARLY  EPOCHS 

When  the  treatment  of  the  subject  is  crowded  into 
such  brief  space,  only  the  most  important  stages  in  the 
development  of  Christian  education  can  be  cited.  Pro¬ 
gress  in  any  line  of  human  achievement  has  always 
been  uneven,  sometimes  by  leaps  and  bounds  and  some¬ 
times  so  slow  that  the  faint-hearted  have  become  dis¬ 
couraged.  In  tracing  the  history  of  the  church  as 
teacher  the  following  stages  are  especially  significant. 

Early  catechetical  schools. — The  early  Christians 
of  the  apostolic  period  seem  to  have  followed  closely 
the  precedents  of  the  Jewish  religionists  from  whom 
they  had  so  recently  separated.  For  a  time  Christians 
worshiped  in  Jewish  synagogues,  until  persecution  drove 
them  out.5  Then  their  Christian  meetings  were  held 
in  private  homes,  where  it  seems  probable  that  the 
Jewish  habit  of  conducting  preaching  service  in  the 
morning  and  a  teaching  service  in  the  afternoon  of  their 
Sabbath  or  Sunday  was  followed.  Women  as  well  as 
men  were  permitted  to  teach,  and  there  was,  of  course, 
no  hard-and-fast  distinction  between  the  clergy  and 
laity.  Whatever  distinctions  there  were  in  this  early 
democratic  church  were  due  to  the  functions  which  the 
workers  performed  rather  than  to  any  special  ordina¬ 
tion.  The  disciples  of  Jesus  were  recognized  as  leaders, 
and  a  small  number  of  others  such  as  Paul,  Philip,  Mark, 


6  Hurst — History  of  the  Christian  Church,  vol.  i,  pp.  142 ff. 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


and  Barnabas  were  added  to  this  most  influential 
group  of  leaders.6 

Deacons  were  appointed  to  relieve  the  apostles  from 
“serving  tables/’7  Paul  enumerates  apostles,  prophets, 
teachers,  and  other  workers.8  The  sayings  and  deeds 
of  Jesus,  fundamental  doctrines,  prayers,  hymns,  Hebrew 
Scriptures,  and  letters  from  the  apostles  constituted 
the  curriculum  material.9 

The  school  of  Alexandria. — The  most  famous  and 
most  influential  of  the  early  catechetical  schools  was  that 
at  Alexandria  of  which  Pantaenus  (about  200)  was  the 
first  head,  followed  by  Clement  of  Alexandria  and 
Origen.  Prior  to  this  the  Christians  of  Alexandria  were 
trained  in  Christianity  by  the  bishop,  presbyters,  and 
deacons  through  private  instruction  and  catechetical 
lectures.  Christians  who  desired  a  higher  education 
had  been  obliged  to  seek  it  in  the  public  rhetorical 
school  and  the  university.  With  the  coming  of  these 
brilliant,  well-trained  men  an  opportunity  was  given 
here  for  Christian  education  in  rhetoric  and  philosophy. 
The  widespread  influence  of  this  school  is  known  to 
every  student  of  church  history. 

The  number  of  grades  of  catechumens  in  these  schools 
has  been  variously  estimated.  Geraldine  Hodgkin 
accepts  the  description  given  by  Cardinal  Newman  in 
his  Arlans  of  the  Fourth  Century.  According  to 
Cardinal  Newman,  reception  into  full  discipleship  as 
teleoi,  or  “men  in  Christ,”  admitting  to  all  the  privileges 
of  the  church,  was  preceded  by  a  period  of  preparation 
extending  from  two  to  three  years.  The  purpose  of  this 


6  Trumbull — Yale  Lectures  in  the  Sunday  School,  p.  37. 

7  Acts  6.  1-6. 

8  1  Cor.  12.  28. 

9  Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology,  vol.  i,  p.  53. 

20 


v 


FORERUNNERS 


preparation  was  to  test  the  obedience  of  the  candidates 
and  to  instruct  them  in  the  principles  of  the  revealed 
Christian  truth.  As  candidates  preparing  for  full 
membership,  they  were  called  catechumens  because  of 
the  particular  systematic  way  in  which  they  were 
taught  the  fundamentals  of  the  new  faith.  The  instruc¬ 
tion  began  with  the  simple  principles  of  natural  religion 
and  advanced  to  the  Christian  mysteries. 

During  this  introductory  discipline  the  students 
passed  through  three  grades.  As  audientes  (hearers)  they 
were  given  permission  to  hear  the  reading  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  and  sermons  in  the  church.  Later,  after  receiving 
the  imposition  of  hands  as  a  sign  of  their  progress,  they 
were  allowed  to  remain  during  the  prayers  and  were 
called  y ovvxhtvovreg  (benders  of  the  knee)  or  evuoj-levol 
(those  who  pray).  Lastly  they  were  taught  the  Lord’s 
Prayer  (the  peculiar  privilege  of  the  regenerate)  to¬ 
gether  with  the  Creed  just  before  their  baptism,  and 
received  the  titles  of  competentes  (the  qualified),  or 
electi  (the  chosen).  f  But  even  to  the  last  they  were  given 
only  preliminary  training  in  a  formal  way,  for  the  fully 
developed  doctrines  of  the  Trinity,  the  Incarnation,  and 
the  Atonement  were  reserved  as  the  exclusive  privilege 
of  the  experienced  Christians.10 

A  period  of  two  (or,  according  to  Newman,  two  or 
three)  years  appears  to  have  been  the  ordinary  time  of 
the  Christian’s  probation  as  he  passed  from  the  simple 
beginning  to  the  difficult  close  of  his  course. 

Brilliant  teachers  of  second  and  third  centuries* 
— Few  realize  how  conspicuous  a  role  the  teacher 
played  in  the  second  century  after  Christ.  While  the 
apostles  did  not  neglect  instruction,  they  were  not 
professional  school  men,  but  the  next  century  brought 

10  Hodgkin — Primitive  Christian  Education ,  pp.  12 iff. 

21 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


to  the  church  the  services  of  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
teachers  of  their  day.  Justin,  the  Martyr11  (about  114- 
165)  is  said  to  have  been  the  most  popular  teacher  in 
Rome.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Origen,  Tertullian,  and 
others  have  left  a  record  of  educational  work  which  is 
one  of  the  brightest  in  church  history.  The  church  in 
this  period  was  fighting  for  the  right  to  live.  Its  teach¬ 
ings  had  to  face  the  most  searching  criticism.  The 
intellectual  ones  of  the  Roman  Empire  were  seeking 
fight  on  the  meaning  of  fife.  The  teachers  of  this  day 
were  trained  in  Greek  philosophy  and  cast  their  Chris¬ 
tian  message  into  philosophic  molds.  The  result  was 
that  the  catechetical  schools  of  Alexandria,  Rome, 
Antioch,  Nyssa,  and  elsewhere  were  crowded  with 
students.  Christianity  was  winning  its  way  in  the 
highest  intellectual  circles  and  giving  the  church  a 
literature  on  doctrine  and  conduct  which  could  be  put 
into  the  minds  of  youth  and  would  enable  them  to 
withstand  any  intellectual  assaults. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  significance  of 
this  teaching  epoch  of  the  second,  third,  and  fourth 
centuries.  No  similar  emphasis  upon  teaching  recurs 
until  the  intellectual  awakening  of  the  Renaissance  and 
Reformation. 

Monastic  and  cathedral  schools. — While  the  educa¬ 
tional  passion  of  the  early  centuries  subsided  after 
Christianity  had  won  its  way  to  power  intellectually 
and  politically,  the  school  movement  continues  but 
along  more  restricted  fines.  The  monasteries  take  up 
the  task  of  training  bright  boys  for  their  orders  and 
the  cathedrals  train  boys  for  the  work  of  the  secular 
clergy.  The  curriculum  consisted  of  the  Trivium ■— 
grammar  or  philology,  rhetoric,  and  logic — and  the 

11  Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology,  vol.  i,  pp.  72Q;. 

22 


FORERUNNERS 


Quadrivium — arithmetic,  astronomy,  geometry,  and 
music.  All  of  these  studies,  however,  were  taught 
especially  for  their  relations  to  theology,  music  having 
importance  in  the  church  service,  and  astronomy  being 
necessary  to  the  calculation  of  Easter.  Most  of  the 
schools,  we  are  told,  did  not  go  beyond  the  Trivium.12 

While  civilization  owes  a  vast  debt  to  these  monastic 
and  cathedral  schools  for  their  contribution  to  learning, 
they  did  not  constitute  a  program  of  education  that 
was  intended  to  reach  all  the  boys  and  girls  of  the 
parish.  They  were  primarily  schools  for  the  fortunate 
few  who  were  to  become  leaders  in  the  church. 

Court  schools. — Charlemagne  gave  impetus  to  the 
development  of  court  schools,  the  celebrated  Alcuin 
being  the  head  of  his  school  for  a  few  years,  withdrawing 
in  790.  But  these  schools  also  were  for  the  favored  few 
who  belonged  to  the  nobility.  Those  who  were  able 
either  sent  their  boys  to  such  a  school  or  more  frequently 
engaged  tutors  to  instruct  them  within  the  family 
castle.13 

Rise  of  mediaeval  universities. — As  an  outgrowth  of 
all  three  of  these  types  of  schools  came  the  great 
mediaeval  universities.  The  revival  of  interest  in  both 
civil  and  canon  law  was  greatly  stimulated  by  the 
development  of  the  universities,  and  was  in  turn  greatly 
stimulated  by  them.14  The  University  of  Bologna  be¬ 
came  famous  under  Irnerius  (1100-1130),  a  famous 
teacher  of  Roman  civil  law.15 

The  University  of  Paris  grew  out  of  the  Cathedral 

12  Pray — The  History  of  Sunday  Schools  and  of  Religious  Education  from  the 
Earliest  Times,  pp.  73,  74- 

13  Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology,  vol.  ii,  pp.  nff. 

u  por  study  of  the  mediaeval  universities  consult  Rashdall,  The  Universities  of 
Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages,  2  vols.  Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  publishers; 
Oxford,  Clarendon  Press,  London. 

15  Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology,  vol.  ii,  p.  41. 

23 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


school  in  Paris  about  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century, 
while  Oxford  developed  from  an  obscure  origin  near 
the  close  of  the  twelfth  century  and  Cambridge  fol¬ 
lowed  soon  after  because  of  a  migration  from  Oxford. 
Universities  at  Naples,  Rome,  Toulouse,  Padua,  Lisbon, 
and  numerous  other  centers  were  also  famous.  Thou¬ 
sands  of  students  were  in  attendance  at  a  single  uni¬ 
versity,  and  they  seem  to  have  moved  from  one  school 
to  another  very  freely.  Discipline  was  lax  and  morals 
low,  but  great  leaders  in  church  and  state  were  trained 
by  these  institutions.  The  principal  faculties  in  the 
schools  were  those  of  religion,  law,  and  medicine  repre¬ 
senting  the  three  popular  professions  of  the  day.16 

REFORMATION  SCHOOLS 

The  movement  to  give  instruction  in  Christian 
fundamentals  to  the  many  instead  of  to  the  few,  to  the 
poor  as  well  as  to  the  rich,  did  not  begin  until  the 
Reformation.  Prior  to  this  time  no  extensive  learning 
was  expected  even  among  the  rich.  The  favored  few 
whose  tastes  were  intellectual  might  employ  tutors  and 
secure  costly  manuscripts  to  read,  but  popular  universal 
education  was  unknown,  and  not  even  desired. 

But  when  the  great  revolt  from  the  church  came  and 
men  sought  to  find  the  seat  of  authority  in  the  Bible 
rather  than  in  the  church,  the  education  of  individual 
church  members  became  a  necessity.  Fortunately,  the 
invention  of  printing  made  such  universal  education  a 
possibility. 

Luther,  Calvin,  Zwingli,  Knox,  and  other  reformers 
saw  clearly  the  necessity  for  instructing  as  many  of 
the  young  Christians  as  possible,  and  much  attention 
was  given  to  the  preparation  of  catechetical  materials 

15  Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology,  vol.  ii,  pp.  4off. 

24 


FORERUNNERS 


for  their  training.  The  early  period  of  the  Reformation 
marks  the  greatest  period  of  advance  in  Christian 
education  up  to  that  time  since  the  second  century. 

The  Jesuit  schools  of  the  Counter  Reformation. 
— It  must  not  be  thought,  however,  that  the  Reforma¬ 
tion  was  altogether  the  creator  of  this  educational 
movement.  The  Reformation  itself  was  in  large  part  a 
result  of  the  current  intellectual  ferment  and  passion 
for  learning.  It  was  first  a  product  and  then  a  creator 
of  educational  movements.  Long  before  the  Reforma¬ 
tion,  some  of  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  had  seen  the 
necessity  for  more  thorough  instruction  of  the  people 
in  the  Christian  fundamentals. 

But  when  the  Reformation  came  the  church  was 
forced  to  combat  learning  with  learning.  Ignatius 
Loyola  saw  the  opportunity  of  winning  back  the  lost 
multitudes  through  teaching  their  boys  and  girls.  The 
supreme  tools  of  the  Jesuits  were  their  schools,  and 
following  their  leadership,  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
won  back  through  superior  school-teaching  great  multi¬ 
tudes  and  whole  nations  that  seemed  to  be  lost  to  her 
forever. 

Carlo  Borromeo  (1538-1584),  Archbishop  of  Milan, 
was  a  very  enthusiastic  educational  reformer  and  held 
a  Sunday  school  in  the  cathedral  of  Milan  Sunday 
afternoons  with  hundreds  of  pupils  of  both  sexes  divided 
into  small  classes  under  the  instruction  of  a  clergyman 
and  one  or  more  lay  assistants.  He  promoted  these 
schools  throughout  his  diocese. 

Later  Reformation  schools. — But  the  pendulum  of 
interest  swung  away  from  education  again.  The  cate¬ 
chisms,  which  were  meant  to  be  only  skeletons  to  guide 
the  discussions  of  teachers,  became  the  whole  body  of 
curriculum  material.  The  leaders  became  indifferent  to 

25 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


teaching,  perhaps  because  the  opportunity  of  settling 
disputes  by  preaching  about  them  was  too  fascinating 
for  these  leaders  to  withstand.  At  any  rate  the  churches 
of  the  Reformation  lost  much  of  their  zeal  for  teaching 
the  young,  with  the  result  that  in  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  they  reaped  a  harvest  of  religious 
indifference  and  moral  degeneracy  which  seems  in¬ 
credible,  following  so  soon  after  a  great  spiritual 
awakening. 

Near  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  early 
in  the  eighteenth  we  find  a  revival  of  vital  religious 
experience  and  interest  in  religious  education  in  the 
movement  of  Pietism  in  Germany  led  by  Spener,  the 
Moravian  revival  led  by  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  the 
Wesleyan  movement  in  England.  The  Moravian 
Brethren  gave  especial  attention  to  the  instruction  of 
the  young,  dividing  the  converts  into  groups  of  five. 
John  Wesley,  acknowledging  his  debt  to  the  Moravians, 
adopted  a  plan  of  class  meetings  for  his  societies.  When 
the  Sunday-school  movement  was  being  started  by 
Robert  Raikes  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  see  its  possi¬ 
bilities  and  joined  vigorously  in  its  promotion. 

SUMMARY 

We  have  seen  in  this  chapter  that  the  example  of  the 
ancient  Hebrews  and  of  Jesus  points  to  education  as 
the  outstanding  method  for  developing  religious 
character.  We  have  noted  how  the  apostles  made  the 
church  of  their  period  a  teaching  church  and  how  the 
next  few  generations  succeeding  them  produced  brilliant 
teachers  of  Christianity.  We  have  also  followed  briefly 
the  educational  movement  inspired  and  to  a  large 
degree  directed  by  the  church,  through  monastic, 
cathedral,  and  court  schools  and  through  great  uni- 

26 


FORERUNNERS 


versities.  We  have  noted  the  intellectual  ferment  which 
produced  the  Reformation  and  the  great  movements 
for  the  training  of  multitudes  both  in  the  Reformation 
churches  and  also  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Lastly,  we  have  noted  a  decline  in  educational  interest 
in  the  later  Reformational  period  and  the  promise  of  a 
revival  of  interest.  This  brings  us  to  the  colonial  period 
in  America. 

Every  reader  has  probably  been  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  from  the  Jewish  schools  before  Christ  down 
through  the  Reformation  period  practically  all  of  the 
schools  have  had  religious  education  as  one  of  their 
dominant  aims  and  have  been  under  the  direction  of 
church  leaders.  There  has  been  in  the  period  which  we 
have  discussed  no  general  education  separate  from 
religious  education. 

Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  To  what  extent  has  the  perpetuity  of  the  Jewish 

race  been  due  to  its  emphasis  upon  education  in 
religion? 

2.  What  evidence  is  there  to  show  that  Jesus  de¬ 

pended  primarily  upon  teaching  methods  to  win 
the  world? 

3.  Discuss  the  technique  of  Jesus  as  a  teacher. 

4.  To  what  extent  did  Saint  Paul  depend  upon  teach¬ 

ing  methods  to  win  and  develop  followers  of 
Jesus? 

5.  How  do  you  account  for  the  strong  appeal  which 

Christianity  made  to  the  intellectual  classes  in 
the  second  and  third  centuries  A.D.? 

6.  Discuss  the  significance  to  the  cause  of  religious 

education  of  the  various  types  of  schools  de¬ 
scribed  in  this  chapter. 

27 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


7.  Trace  any  tendencies  to  separation  of  religion 

from  general  education  which  you  may  be  able 
to  discover  in  the  epochs  cited. 

8.  How  do  you  account  for  the  close  identification  of 

religion  with  general  education  through  the 
centuries  that  have  been  mentioned? 

Brief  bibliography  of  selected  references: 

Briggs — History  of  the  Study  of  Theology ,  Vols.  I,  II. 
Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  New  York,  1916. 

Cope — The  Evolution  of  the  Sunday  School.  The  Pil¬ 
grim  Press,  Boston,  1911. 

Trumbull — Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday  School.  Charles 
Scribner’s  Sons,  New  York,  1904.  (Copyright,  1888.) 

Hurst — History  of  the  Christian  Church ,  Vol.  I.  Eaton 
and  Mains,  New  York,  1901. 

Hodgkin — Primitive  Christian  Education.  T.  &  T. 
Clark,  Edinburgh,  1906. 

Pray — The  History  of  Sunday  Schools  and  of  Religious 
Education  from  the  Earliest  Times.  William  Crosby 
and  H.  P.  Nichols,  Boston,  1847. 

Rashdall — The  Universities  of  Europe  in  the  Middle 
Ages ,  Vols.  I,  II.  The  Macmillan  Company,  New 
York;  Oxford,  Clarendon  Press,  London,  1895. 

Meyer — The  Graded  Sunday  School  in  Principle  and 
Practice.  The  Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York. 


28 


CHAPTER  II 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  IN  AMERICA 

The  story  of  religious  education  in  the  American 
colonies  is  the  story  of  the  development  of  general 
education  as  well.  The  two  movements  were  inseparably 
united  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  colonists  had 
never  known  of  their  being  otherwise. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  REFORMATION 

The  modern  educational  development  received  its 
greatest  impulse  from  the  Protestant  Reformation. 
When  the  seat  of  authority  in  religion  was  transferred 
from  an  “infallible  church”  to  an  “infallible  book”  the 
necessity  for  universal  education  became  at  once  mani¬ 
fest.  It  might  require  centuries  before  the  great  nations 
should  develop  an  adequate  program  of  education  for 
all  the  people,  but  the  nations  which  accepted  the 
Protestant  interpretation  of  religion  were  of  necessity 
committed  to  such  a  policy. 

The  reason  why  progress  was  slow  lay  in  the  fact  that 
the  world  was  not  yet  committed  to  the  principles  of  a 
democratic  society.  The  people  could  believe  in  universal 
salvation  for  slave,  pauper,  and  noble,  but  that  salva¬ 
tion  would  lie  in  the  “hereafter”;  it  could  not  apply  to 
everyday  life.  Not  only  in  England  but  throughout 
Europe  many  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen¬ 
turies  would  have  agreed  with  Mandeville,  in  his  “Essay 
on  Charity  Schools,”  that  “there  is  no  Need  for  any 
Learning  at  all  for  the  meanest  Ranks  of  Mankind: 
Their  Business  is  to  Labor,  not  to  Think.  Their  Duty 

29 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


is  to  do  what  they  are  commanded,  to  fill  up  the  most 
servile  Posts,  and  to  perform  the  lowest  Offices  and 
Drudgeries  of  Life  for  the  Conveniency  of  their  Su¬ 
periors;  and  Common  Nature  gives  them  knowledge 
enough  for  this  Purpose.”1 

We  find  immediately  following  the  Reformation  a 
slow  but  steady  movement  toward  universal  free  educa¬ 
tion — slow  because  it  was  so  inimical  to  the  desires  of 
the  privileged  classes,  but  steady  because  of  the  re¬ 
ligious  passion  of  the  Protestants  that  all  be  taught  to 
read  the  Scriptures.  As  the  worth  of  the  individual 
came  to  be  more  generally  recognized  and  as  the  nations 
developed  more  democratic  forms  of  government,  the 
movement  became  greatly  accelerated,  because  the 
necessities  of  a  democratic  state  also  demanded  an 
educated  people. 

Condition  of  education  in  England. — Since  by  far 
the  majority  of  the  colonists  came  from  England,  we 
would  expect  to  find  the  essential  features  of  the  English 
system  of  education  reproduced  in  America.  This  is 
exactly  the  case.  Hence  we  should  give  brief  considera¬ 
tion  to  the  educational  program  of  England  at  this  time. 
Free  education  in  England  at  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century  was  practically  unknown  and 
considered  undesirable.  The  rich  and  the  fortunate 
were  tutored  in  private  homes,  then  sent  to  a  Latin- 
grammar  school  to  be  prepared  for  Oxford  or  Cambridge. 
Education  for  the  poorer  classes  was  opposed  because 
the  poor  were  expected  to  do  only  menial  labor  for  the 
more  fortunate,  and  it  was  feared  that  education  would 
unfit  them  for  menial  service. 

However,  the  poor  were  expected  to  receive  education 

1  Quoted  from  Graves — A  History  of  Education  in  Modern  Times,  p.  40.  Copy¬ 
right  by  The  Macmillan  Company.  Used  by  permission. 

30 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


for  their  labor  through  the  apprentice  system,  and  in 
time  “pauper”  or  “charity”  schools  were  started  as  a 
matter  of  self-protection  or  as  the  result  of  some  patron’s 
generous  impulse.  The  state  was  expected  to  assume 
no  responsibility  for  education  and  the  church  assumed 
none  for  the  education  of  the  rich.  These  were  able  to 
take  care  of  themselves  through  the  means  indicated. 
But  the  church  did  come  to  see  that  to  some  extent  it 
was  responsible  for  educating  the  poor.  In  1698  a 
“Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge” 
was  founded,  assuming  as  its  chief  project  “to  set  up 
catechetical  schools  for  the  education  of  poor  chil¬ 
dren.”  The  teachers  of  these  schools  were  required  to 
be  members  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  to  be  ap¬ 
proved  by  the  minister  of  the  parish  in  which  each  lived. 
Each  master  was  required  to  teach  the  catechism  in 
addition  to  the  regular  work  in  reading,  writing,  and 
“the  Grounds  of  Arithmetic  to  fit  them  for  Service  as 
Apprentices,”  “Parents  were  also  required  under 
penalty  of  their  children  being  dismissed  from  the 
school,  to  see  that  the  children  did  not  absent  them¬ 
selves  save  for  sickness,  and  that  they  came  to  school 
cleanly  and  neat.  Besides  being  educated  the  pupils 
were  clothed,  boarded,  and  at  times  even  lodged.”2 
Such  were  the  beginnings  of  free  education  in  England, 
and  these  types  of  education  both  for  the  poor  and  also 
for  the  rich  became  the  standard  in  many  of  the  colonies, 
however  with  modifications  that  will  be  noted. 

THREE  TYPES  OF  SCHOOL  POLICY  IN  THE  COLONIES 

The  beginnings  of  education  in  the  American  colonies 
follow,  in  the  main,  three  general  types.  In  Virginia, 

2  Graves — A  History  of  Education  in  Modern  Times,  p.  38. 

31 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Maryland,  and  generally  in  the  Southern  States  the 
English  policy  approved  by  the  upper  classes  held  sway. 
This  policy  was  that  the  poor  should  not  be  given 
education  except  as  apprentices  and  that  the  rich  should 
provide  it  for  themselves  through  private  tutors,  and 
through  grammar  schools  and  colleges  without  inter¬ 
ference  by  the  church  or  state.  The  State  of  Virginia, 
at  the  beginning,  concerned  herself  principally  with  the 
establishment  of  the  College  of  William  and  Mary. 
Although  there  were  praiseworthy  efforts  as  far  back  as 
1616  for  the  education  of  the  children,  they  produced 
little,  for  as  late  as  1671  Governor  Berkeley,  when  ques¬ 
tioned  concerning  instruction  in  the  colony,  said:  “The 
same  course  that  is  taken  in  England  out  of  towns; 
every  man  according  to  his  ability  instructing  his 
children.  .  .  .  But  I  thank  God  there  are  no  free 
schools  nor  printing,  and  I  hope  we  shall  not  have  these 
hundred  years;  for  learning  has  brought  disobedience 
and  heresy  and  sects  into  the  world,  and  printing  has 
divulged  them  and  libels  against  the  best  government. 
God  keep  us  from  both!”3 

The  second  type  was  that  of  the  parochial  school 
which  held  sway  in  the  middle  colonies  of  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  and  among  the 
Roman  Catholics  of  Maryland.  Here  the  population 
was  much  less  homogeneous  than  in  either  the  Southern 
or  Northern  colonies.  The  Germans  of  many  sects 
early  settled  in  Pennsylvania  beside  the  English,  and 
the  Dutch  were  the  first  settlers  of  New  York.  Roman 
Catholics  predominated  in  Maryland  and  were  strong 
in  Pennsylvania,  while  New  Jersey  and  Delaware  were 


3  Dexter — History  of  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  io.  Copyright  by 
'The  Macmillan  Company,  publishers.  Used  by  permission. 

32 


V 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

settled  by  a  variety  of  nationalities  and  sects  such 
as  Swedes,  Finns,  Dutch  Quakers,  Anglicans,  and  Scotch 
Presbyterians. 

The  communities  being  so  heterogeneous,  a  common 
school  for  the  community  dominated  by  one  sect  was 
out  of  the  question.  The  sects  and  nationalities  were 
interested  in  education,  but  the  parochial  system  was 
the  only  one  that  they  knew  or  that  seemed  possible 
to  them.  That  religion  should  receive  marked  atten¬ 
tion  in  this  type  of  school  as  it  did,  is  exactly  what  we 
would  expect. 

The  third  type  was  the  common-school  type  of  New 
England  which  formed  the  basis  of  our  present  public 
school  system.  Here  the  communities  were  in  the  early 
days  homogeneous  and  intensely  religious.  The  com¬ 
munity  was  a  small  state  under  religious  control.  Hence 
a  parochial  school  and  community  school  would  be 
identical.  Dexter  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  “never 
since,  in  the  history  of  our  country,  has  the  popula¬ 
tion  as  a  class  been  so  highly  educated  as  during 
the  first  half-century  of  the  Massachusetts  settlements. 
One  man  in  every  two  hundred  and  fifty  had  been 
graduated  from  an  English  university,  and  both 
clergy  and  laity  had  brought  from  home  enviable 
reputations  for  superior  service  both  in  church  and 
college.”4 

As  early  as  1635  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony 
in  a  town  meeting  voted  “therefore  brother  Philemon5 
Parmount  shall  be  interested  to  become  schoolmaster 
for  the  nurturing  of  children  with  us.”  In  1836 
Harvard  College  was  started  for  the  preparation  of 


4  Dexter — History  of  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  24. 
6  Ibid.,  p.  25. 


33 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


ministers,  and  in  1842  a  very  significant  law  was 
enacted,  a  portion  of  which  was  as  follows: 

This  court  taking  into  consideration  the  great  neglect  of 
many  parents  and  masters  in  training  up  their  children 
in  learning  and  labor,  and  other  employments  which 
may  be  profitable  to  the  commonwealth,  do  hereupon 
order  and  decree  that  in  every  town  the  chosen  men 
appointed  for  managing  the  prudential  affairs  of  the 
same  shall  henceforth  stand  charged  with  the  care  of 
the  redress  of  this  evil,  so  as  they  shall  be 
sufficiently  punished  by  fines  for  the  neglect  thereof 
upon  presentment  of  the  grand  jury,  or  any  other 
information  or  complaint  in  any  court  within  this 
jurisdiction;  and  for  this  end  they,  or  the  greater 
number  of  them,  shall  have  the  power  to  take  account 
from  time  to  time  of  all  parents  and  masters,  and  of  their 
children  concerning  their  calling  and  employment  of  their 
children,  especially  of  their  ability  to  read  and  under¬ 
stand  the  principles  of  religion  and  the  capital  laws  of 
this  country,  and  to  impose  fines  upon  such  as  shall  refuse 
to  render  such  accounts  to  them  when  they  shall  be 
required;  and  they  shall  have  power,  with  consent  of  any 
court  or  the  magistrate,  to  put  forth  apprentices  the 
children  of  such  as  they  shall  (find)  not  to  be  able  and  fit 
to  employ  and  bring  them  up  .  .  .”6 

Of  still  greater  significance  is  the  Massachusetts 
School  Ordinance  of  1647: 

It  being  one  of  the  chief  projects  of  that  old  deluder 
Satan  to  keep  men  from  the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures, 
as  in  former  times  by  keeping  them  in  an  unknown 
tongue,  so  in  these  later  times  by  persuading  from  the 
use  of  tongues,  that  so  at  least  the  true  sense  and  mean¬ 
ing  of  the  original  might  be  clouded  by  false  gloss  is  of 
saint-seeming  deceivers,  that  learning  may  not  be  buried 

6  Dexter — History  of  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  584.  Appendix  B. 

34 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


in  the  grave  of  our  fathers  in  the  church  and  common¬ 
wealth,  the  Lord  assisting  our  endeavors: 

It  is  therefore  ordered,  That  every  township  in  this 
jurisdiction,  after  the  Lord  hath  increased  them  to  the 
number  of  fifty  householders,  shall  then  forthwith  ap¬ 
point  one  within  their  town  to  teach  all  such  children  as 
shall  resort  to  him  to  write  and  read,  whose  wages  shall 
be  paid  either  by  the  parents  or  masters  of  such  children, 
or  by  the  inhabitants  in  general,  by  way  of  supply,  as 
the  major  part  of  those  that  order  the  prudentials  of 
the  town  shall  appoint:  Provided ,  Those  that  send  their 
children  be  not  oppressed  by  paying  much  more  than 
they  can  have  them  taught  for  in  other  towns;  and 
It  is  further  ordered,  That  where  any  town  shall  increase 
to  the  number  of  one  hundred  families  or  householders, 
they  shall  set  up  a  grammar  school,  the  master  thereof 
being  able  to  instruct  youth,  so  far  as  they  may  be  fitted, 
for  the  university:  Provided ,  That  if  any  town  neglect 
the  performance  here  of  above  one  year,  that  every  such 
town  shall  pay  five  pounds  to  the  next  school  until  they 
shall  perform  this  order.7 

RISE  AND  DECLINE  OF  SCHOOLS  IN  NEW  ENGLAND 

The  other  New  England  States,  with  the  exception 
of  Rhode  Island,  followed,  in  the  main,  the  pattern  set 
by  Massachusetts.  The  Connecticut  School  Law  of 
1650  was  modeled  very  closely  after  the  Massachusetts 
law  of  1647.  However,  the  eighteenth  century  wit¬ 
nessed  a  decline  in  the  zeal  and  achievements  of 
Massachusetts  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place, 
the  hard  conditions  of  life  in  this  new  country  steadily 
wore  down  some  of  the  interest  in  education  and  gen¬ 
eral  culture,  while  the  immigration  of  new  sects  broke 
up  the  homogeneity  of  the  community  groups. 


7  Ibid.,  p.  585. 


35 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

A  further  factor  in  the  decline  was  the  development 
of  the  district-school  system.  As  the  communities 
grew  the  population  became  more  scattered,  and  people 
demanded  that  the  schools  be  made  more  convenient 
for  them.  At  first  this  demand  was  met  by  moving  the 
schools  from  one  district  to  another  for  short  periods, 
and  gradually  it  led  to  the  establishment  of  district 
schools  authorized  by  law.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  the 
district  system  would  create  very  uneven  school  oppor¬ 
tunities.  In  thickly  populated  districts  the  school  of 
the  “three  R’s”  and  the  higher  Latin-grammar  school 
were  possible,  but  in  sparsely  settled  districts  only  the 
very  elementary  school  was  apt  to  be  developed.  Writers 
of  educational  history  generally  admit  that  the  district 
system  proved  to  be  a  distinct  handicap  to  Massa¬ 
chusetts,  and  permitted  New  York  to  pass  her  in 
educational  efficiency  at  the  close  of  the  colonial 
period. 

Types  of  schools. — Near  the  close  of  the  colonial 
period  the  following  types  of  schools  were  common  to  all 
parts  of  the  country,  although  with  very  different 
degrees  of  efficiency:  the  “Dame  School, ”  conducted 
by  some  woman  in  a  private  home,  where  the  youngest 
children  were  taught  their  letters  and  the  simplest 
elements  of  reading  and  writing;  the  “School  of  the 
Three  R’s,”  or  common  school,  where  reading,  writing, 
and  arithmetic  were  the  principal  subjects;  the  Latin- 
grammar  school,  believed  by  many  to  be  the  most 
efficient  part  of  the  school  system  in  this  period.  In 
this  school  Latin  was  given  especial  prominence, 
but  other  cultural  subjects  selected  to  prepare  one  for 
college  were  taught.  These  schools  became  the  basis 
of  the  most  typical  American  educational  institution, 
the  American  high  school,  and  for  a  long  period  fur- 

36 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


nished  the  teachers  for  the  elementary  schools.  Above 
these  stood  the  college,  founded  first  especially  to  pre¬ 
pare  men  for  the  ministry.  But  the  curriculum  was 
soon  broadened  to  prepare  for  the  other  learned  pro¬ 
fessions  of  law  and  medicine  and  for  the  life  of  a 
“cultured  gentleman.” 

Textbook  materials. — The  curriculum  materials  for 
this  period  were  predominantly  religious.  The  earliest 
book  used  was  not  a  book  at  all  but  a  paddle-shaped 
piece  of  wood  covered  with  a  printed  leaf  of  paper 
protected  by  a  thin  sheet  of  transparent  horn.  Because 
of  the  covering  it  was  known  as  the  Hornbook  and 
contained  principally  the  alphabet  and  the  Lord’s 
Prayer.  After  learning  to  read  from  this  the  pupil 
passed  to  the  catechism  and  the  Bible.  These,  accord¬ 
ing  to  Cubberley,  “constituted  the  entire  range  of  read¬ 
ing  in  the  schools.”8 

The  New  England  Primer. — Next  to  the  Bible  the 
most  influential  book  in  New  England  during  the 
colonial  period  was  The  New  England  Primer ,  which 
soon  superseded  the  Hornbook ,  and  was  used  very 
generally  by  schools  in  all  of  the  colonies  except  those 
under  control  of  the  Church  of  England. 

In  the  “Foreword”  of  a  New  England  Primer ,  “Twen¬ 
tieth  Century  Reprint,”  by  Ginn  &  Company,  we 
read  this  apt  characterization  of  the  book  and  its 
influence:  uThe  New  England  Primer  was  one  of  the 
greatest  books  ever  published.  It  went  through  in¬ 
numerable  editions;  it  reflected  in  a  marvelous  way  the 
spirit  of  the  age  that  produced  it,  and  contributed 
perhaps  more  than  any  other  book  except  the  Bible 


8  Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  30.  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  publishers;  used  by  permission. 

37 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


to  the  molding  of  those  sturdy  generations  that  gave 
to  America  its  liberty  and  its  institutions.”9 

The  New  England  Primer  contains  the  alphabet,  easy 
syllables,  words  of  one  to  five  syllables,  the  Lord’s 
Prayer,  and  Apostles’  Creed,  words  and  couplets  illus¬ 
trated  by  crude  but  very  interesting  wood  cuts,  a  picture 
and  story  of  the  martyrdom  of  John  Rogers,  prayers  for 
children  including  grace  before  and  after  meals,  William 
Cotton’s  Catechism ,  and  many  poems  or  sentences 
calculated  to  impress  religious  truth  upon  the  minds 
of  the  young.  Much  attention  is  given  to  preparing 
for  death,  as  the  following  indicates: 

“I  in  the  burying  place  may  see 
Graves  shorter  there  than  I. 

From  death’s  arrest  no  age  is  free; 

Young  children  too  may  die. 

My  God,  may  such  an  awful  sight 
Awakening  be  to  me ! 

Oh!  that  by  early  grace  I  might 
For  death  prepared  be.”10 

But  there  are  also  many  admonitions  calculated  to  guide 
the  child  in  this  life.  For  example  the  following: 

Three  Choice  Sentences 

1.  Praying  will  make  us  leave  Sinning  or  Sinning  will 
make  us  leave  Praying. 

2.  Our  Weaknesses  and  Inabilities  break  not  the  Bond 
of  our  Duties. 

3.  What  we  are  afraid  to  speak  before  men  we  should 
be  afraid  to  speak  before  God.11 

9  The  New  England  Primer,  Twentieth  Century  Reprint,  published  by  Ginn 
&  Company.  Used  by  permission  of  Le  Roy  Phillips,  publisher,  Boston,  the 
present  owner  of  copyright. 

i°Used  by  permission  of  Le  Roy  Phillips,  publisher. 

11  Ibid. 


38 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


The  prayer  which  so  many  readers  have  learned  in 
childhood,  “Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep/’  is  in  this 
book,  and  also  Watts’  Cradle  Hymn,  “Hush,  my  dear, 
lie  still  and  slumber.” 

Wherever  the  New  England  Primer  was  used  there 
was  no  need  for  supplementary  Sunday  schools  of 
religious  instruction,  for  the  Primer  was  essentially  a 
child’s  book  of  religion.  Some  of  it  was  not  within  the 
reach  of  the  child’s  understanding,  and  the  religious 
teacher  of  to-day  would  find  it  too  somber,  dealing  too 
much  with  death  and  too  little  with  life  here  under  the 
heavenly  Father’s  guidance.  But  clearly  it  must  have 
put  “the  fear  of  God”  into  young  hearts,  and  prepared 
them  for  heroic  Christian  living. 

While  the  New  England  Primer  and  the  Bible  main¬ 
tained  their  supremacy  through  the  colonial  period, 
after  1750  there  was  a  marked  decline  of  interest  in  the 
religious  materials  due  in  large  part  to  the  introduction 
of  a  new  type  of  text  book,  Dillworth’s  A  New  Guide  to 
the  English  Tongue. 

Separate  schools  of  religion  practically  unknown. 

— A  church-school  system  apart  from  the  regular  day- 
school  system  was  practically  unknown  in  this  period. 
We  read  of  churches  in  New  England  which  held  a 
preaching  service  on  Sunday  morning  and  a  teaching 
service  Sunday  afternoon,  somewhat  similar  to  the 
custom  of  the  Jews  in  the  time  of  Christ.  But  no  effort 
was  made  to  develop  religious  schools  apart  from  the 
day  schools  of  the  colony.  The  reason  for  this  is  too 
apparent  to  require  discussion. 

SUMMARY 

In  attempting  to  summarize  the  values  of  the  colonial 
period  in  the  development  of  religious  education,  one 

39 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


must  recognize  the  following  items  as  vital  factors  in 
this  department: 

First ,  the  educational  methods  and  types  of  schools 
were  an  inheritance  from  the  Old  World,  especially 
from  the  mother  country,  England. 

Second.  Local  conditions  made  the  development  of 
schools  very  irregular  in  the  various  colonies  with  out¬ 
standing  differences  between  the  southern,  the  middle, 
and  the  northern  colonies.  In  the  South  pauper  schools 
developed  slowly  while  academies  and  colleges,  especially 
in  Virginia  and  Maryland,  made  a  fair  gain,  but  free 
common  school  education  had  little  development.  In 
the  Middle  colonies,  parochial  schools  usually  for  poor 
children  were  numerous,  but  common  schools  for  all  of 
the  people  came  slowly.  In  the  North,  New  England, 
the  common  school  developed  early  and  became  the 
type  of  America’s  public-school  system.  However,  this 
development  was  seriously  retarded  near  the  close  of 
the  period  because  of  hard  conditions  of  living,  the  new 
elements  in  the  population,  and  the  unfortunate  district 
system  of  school  control. 

Third.  The  aim  of  education  in  all  of  the  colonies 
seems  to  have  been  primarily  religious,  the  biblical 
material  constituting  a  large  part  of  the  curriculum.  As 
in  the  Old  World,  those  who  were  principally  interested 
in  education  for  the  young  were  those  possessing  the 
deepest  religious  interest.  It  will  always  be  a  debatable 
question  whether  their  chief  interest  was  to  prepare  the 
child  for  death  or  for  life  on  this  earth,  but  in  either 
event  the  materials  used  were  the  same. 

Fourth.  No  significant  development  of  religious  in¬ 
struction  on  Sunday  is  noted  for  this  period  because  the 
week-day  school  work  was  primarily  religious.  Some 
Sunday  afternoon  teaching  services  are  known  to  have 

A° 


\ 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


been  conducted,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  be  needed, 
and  there  was  no  significant  development  along  this 
line  until  the  next  period. 

Fifth.  The  almost  complete  uniting  of  church  and 
state  in  school  matters  is  of  striking  importance  because 
we  will  trace  in  the  following  chapters  a  development 
which  led  to  complete  separation  of  church  schools 
and  religious  education  from  the  schools  of  the  state. 
In  this  chapter  we  have  noted  how  the  pendulum  swung 
to  one  extreme.  In  the  next  chapter  we  will  note  how 
it  gradually  swung  to  the  other  extreme,  where  it  has 
remained  until  the  present. 

Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  How  do  you  account  for  the  length  of  time  required 

before  universal  education  became  a  common 
aim  among  Christians? 

2.  Discuss  the  influence  of  the  Protestant  Reforma¬ 

tion  upon  the  development  of  a  system  of  edu¬ 
cation  for  the  poor  as  well  as  for  the  rich. 

3.  What  other  factors  stimulated  the  development 

of  a  passion  for  universal  education? 

4.  Describe  educational  conditions  in  England  in  the 

seventeenth  century. 

5.  Investigate  further  the  early  school  system  of  the 

Southern,  the  Middle,  and  the  New  England 
colonies.  In  which  of  these  systems  was  religion 
most  effectively  taught? 

6.  What  is  your  estimate  of  the  New  England  Primer 

as  a  text  work  for  the  young  in  the  colonial 
period? 

7.  Why  was  there  a  tendency  to  break  away  from 

the  exclusive  use  of  religious  materials  near  the 
close  of  this  period? 

41 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


8.  What  types  of  character  would  you  expect  the 

school  systems  of  this  period  to  produce? 

9.  What  permanent  effects  of  the  religious  element 

in  the  colonial-school  system  can  you  see  in  the 
public-school  system  of  to-day? 

Brief  bibliography  of  selected  reference: 

Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States. 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston,  1919. 

Graves — A  History  of  Education  in  Modern  Times. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  1919.  (Copyright, 

I9I3-) 

Dexter — History  of  Education  in  the  United  States. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  1919.  (Copyright, 
1904.) 

Brown — The  Making  of  Our  Middle  Schools.  Long¬ 
mans,  Green  and  Co.,  New  York,  1918.  (Copyright, 
1902.) 

Monroe — Text-Book  in  the  History  of  Education.  The 
Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  1916.  (Copyright, 
i9°s-) 

The  New  England  Primer ,  Twentieth  Century  Reprint. 
Ginn  &  Company.  Le  Roy  Phillips,  publisher. 

Ford — The  New  England  Primer ,  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co., 
New  York,  1899. 


42 


CHAPTER  III 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  FROM  1784-1860 

The  following  comment  of  a  writer  who  is  speaking 
of  a  Sunday  school  as  he  knew  it  in  1817  will  lead  us 
into  the  heart  of  our  problem  as  we  attempt  to  dis¬ 
cover  how  effectively  religious  education  was  being 
administered  in  the  early  days  of  the  nineteenth  cen¬ 
tury. 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  PROGRESS 

The  thoughtful  inquirer  after  possible  improvements 
in  the  Sunday  school  cannot  but  be  struck  with  the  fact 
that  very  few  new  features  have  been  added  to  it  for  the 
past  fifty  years.  A  first-class  Sunday  school  of  to-day 
differs  very  little  in  its  essential  features  from  a  first- 
class  school  of  half  a  century  ago.  This  statement  may 
strike  some  ears  strangely,  but  it  is  nevertheless  his¬ 
torically  true.  The  institution  is  only  about  fourscore 
years  of  age.  Like  many  other  majestic  things,  it  began 
obscurely.  It  was  simply  a  device  to  keep  a  few  juvenile 
Sabbath  idlers  from  the  street  and  to  teach  them  the 
elements  of  secular  and  religious  knowledge — a  sort  of 
Sabbath  substitute  for  the  absence  of  week-day  schools 
for  the  poor.  Mr.  Wesley,  with  other  good  men  of  those 
times,  soon  perceived  its  capabilities  for  higher  pur¬ 
poses.  He  attached  it  to  his  societies,  abolished  its 
more  secular  features,  substituted  voluntary  for  hired 
teachers,  and  made  it  substantially  what  it  is  to-day. 
Though  not  an  old  man,  the  writer’s  recollection  embraces 
a  period  of  nearly  fifty  years — say  forty-eight.  He  was  so 
long  ago  a  scholar  in  a  school  which  possessed  nearly 
everything  we  have  in  our  best  schools  to-day. 

43 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


1.  It  was  governed  by  a  Sunday-school  society  com¬ 
posed  of  its  officers  and  teachers,  with  the  pastor  as 
president  ex  officio. 

2.  It  had  monthly  teachers’  meetings  for  business,  and 
teachers’  prayer  meetings  for  devotional  purposes.  It 
also  had  its  public  anniversaries,  in  which  the  children 
sang  and  took  other  parts  in  the  exercises. 

3.  The  school  was  organized  into  classes,  and  had  its 
superintendent,  secretary,  and  librarians — with  this  im¬ 
provement  over  modem  schools:  each  class  had  two 
instructors,  namely,  a  teacher  and  an  assistant  teacher, 
the  latter  quite  a  youth,  generally,  and  a  candidate  for 
the  office  of  teacher. 

4.  It  had  its  Bible  class  under  the  name  of  “Monitors’ 
Class,”  composed  of  the  senior  scholars,  from  among 
whom  assistant  teachers  were  selected. 

5.  The  school  had  a  series  of  catechetical  textbooks, 
beginning  with  the  “Milk  for  Babes,”  and  ending  with 
an  advanced  work  on  Christian  doctrines,  the  scholars 
graduating  from  class  to  class  as  rapidly  as  they  mastered 
the  textbooks. 

6.  The  school  had  a  library  of  several  hundred  volumes. 
It  also  had  its  periodicals  and  reward  books. 

7.  Singing  was  made  a  specialty  in  it. 

8.  The  children  were  all  taken  to  church  in  the  morn¬ 
ing  and  had  a  religious  service,  with  an  appropriate 
address  after  the  hour  for  instruction  in  the  .after¬ 
noon. 

9.  The  school  met  in  large  upstair  rooms,  fitted  up 
and  kept  exclusively  for  its  use. 

Such  was  a  first-class  Sunday  school  nearly  fifty  years 
ago.  What  has  been  added  to  first-class  Sunday  schools 
since? 

(1)  The  infant  department.  ^2)  The  Sunday-school 
paper  instead  of  or  in  addition  to  the  Magazine.  (3)  The 
question-book,  requiring  the  children  to  use  the  Bible  as 
the  textbook  proper.  (4)  Adult  Bible  classes. 

44 


FROM  1784-1860 


These  four  features  are  all  that  modem  times  have 
given  to  the  institution,  unless  we  add  training  classes 
or  institutes  for  the  instruction  of  teachers,  which,  being 
only  partially  and  exceptionally  employed  either  in 
England  or  America,  can  hardly  as  yet  be  regarded  as 
really  belonging  to  the  institution. 

Thus  it  appears  that  so  far  as  the  addition  of  new 
features  is  concerned,  little  progress  has  been  made  in 
fifty  years.  We  venture  to  remark  that,  in  all  probability, 
the  next  fifty  years  will  scarcely  be  more  productive  of 
novelties  than  the  last.  The  institution,  like  the  church 
itself,  is  molded  into  the  form  which,  however  it  may 
be  modified  in  detail,  will  be  retained  to  the  end  of  time. 
It  is,  most  likely,  incapable  of  being  essentially  altered 
without  being  perverted  from  its  tme  relation  to  Chris¬ 
tianity. 

Wherein,  then,  has  the  institution  made  progress  if 
not  in  its  essential  features?  We  will  answer  this  ques¬ 
tion  in  our  next  number.1 

No  one  imagines  that  so  good  a  school  as  is  herein 
described  was  typical  of  the  period,  but  it  is  significant 
that  such  a  Sunday  school  existed  at  all,  and  there  is 
abundant  evidence  that  other  schools  were  just  as  well 
developed  as  this  one. 

THE  RISE  OF  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MOVEMENT 

To  understand  how  this  development  came  about  let 
us  review  briefly  the  religious  developments  in  England 
in  the  last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Historians 
unanimously  paint  a  black  picture  of  moral  conditions 
in  England  during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  Illiteracy,  irreligion,  and  degeneracy  seem  to 
have  joined  hands  in  this  period.  The  Wesleyan  Re¬ 
vival  started  a  strong  counter  current,  which,  according 

1  Sunday  School  Journal,  November,  1865,  vol.  i,  p.  13. 

45 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


to  the  historian  Green,  saved  England  from  the  horrors 
of  another  French  Revolution. 

However,  the  Wesleyan  Revival  was  only  one  of  the 
movements  which  eventually  turned  back  the  tide  of 
infidelity,  formalism,  and  vicious  living.  One  of  the 
most  significant  factors  was  the  movement  by  Robert 
Raikes.  Being  distressed  over  the  ignorance  and 
bestiality  of  poor  children  who  had  no  chance  to  learn 
better  habits,  in  1780  he  gathered  some  of  them  off  the 
streets  into  his  own  home  for  study  on  Sunday.  He 
hired  four  teachers  to  do  the  instructing  and  kept  the 
children  at  their  tasks  from  10  to  12  a.m.,  and  from 
1  to  4  p.m.  After  three  years  of  experimenting  he  was 
so  enthusiastic  over  the  results  that  he  made  known 
his  plan  through  the  Gloucester  Journal ,  of  which  he 
was  the  editor  and  publisher. 

He  was  not  the  first  to  conduct  a  school  on  Sunday 
and  use  religious  materials  for  the  curriculum.  As  we 
have  seen  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  Jews  and  the  early 
Christians  did  the  same.  Borromeo  and  others  held 
Sunday  schools  with  conspicuous  success.  Some  isolated 
efforts  in  this  direction  had  also  been  put  forth  in 
England,  Wales,  and  America  before  Robert  Raikes 
ever  tried  his  plan.  But  his  newspaper  gave  publicity 
to  the  school  and  the  time  was  ripe  to  propagate  the 
movement. 

The  poor  of  England  were  in  an  unbelievable  state 
of  ignorance  and  degradation  with  practically  no  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  learn  except  through  the  apprentice  system. 
There  were  no  free  schools  except  very  rarely  where 
some  generous  individual  could  not  be  satisfied  without 
attempting  to  relieve  their  needs.  Robert  Raikes 
began  his  work  after  a  good  woman  called  his  attention 
to  the  savagery  of  the  children  in  her  neighborhood. 

46 


FROM  1784-1860 


In  writing  to  Colonel  Townley  on  November  25,  1783, 
Robert  Raikes  stated  that  they  had  no  rules  except  to 
require  the  children  to  come  to  the  school  on  Sunday 
“as  clean  as  possible.”  Clean  hands,  clean  face,  and 
the  hair  combed  were  expected.  “If  you  have  no  clean 
shirt,  come  in  what  you  have  on.”  A  clean  shirt  was 
desirable  but  not  obligatory.2  He  believed  that  habits 
of  orderliness  and  good  conduct  were  essential  to  per¬ 
manent  reformation  of  character. 

Many  protested  vehemently  against  giving  such  in¬ 
struction  to  the  poor  and  against  profaning  the  Lord’s 
Day  by  such  secular  work.  Some  of  the  church  leaders 
put  up  the  bitterest  opposition.  But  a  vast  number  of 
people  hailed  the  school  as  the  harbinger  of  a  new  day. 
And  later  historians  have  not  hesitated  to  call  it  the 
beginning  of  the  free  public-school  movement  of  Eng¬ 
land. 

Within  a  year  after  Robert  Raikes  announced  his 
plan  in  The  Gentleman’s  Magazine ,  1784,  a  society  for 
the  propagation  of  the  plan  had  been  organized,  taking 
as  its  name  “The  Sunday-School  Society  of  London.” 
Some  of  the  objects  of  the  schools  promoted  by  this 
society  were  the  prevention  of  vice,  the  encouragement 
of  industry  and  virtue,  the  bringing  of  men  “cheerfully 
to  submit  to  their  stations,”  obeying  the  laws  of  God 
and  their  country,  the  leading  of  pupils  in  “the  pleasant 
paths  of  religion  here,”  and  the  preparing  of  them  “for 
a  glorious  eternity.” 

But  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  prosperity  of  Sunday 
schools  at  the  beginning  were  the  difficulties  of  obtain¬ 
ing  suitable  teachers  and  the  expense  of  hiring  them. 
They  were  paid  at  the  rate  of  one  shilling  and  sixpence 
or  two  shillings  each  Sunday,  and  from  1786  to 

2  Harris — Robert  Raikes:  The  Man  and  His  Work,  pp.  309.  310. 


r 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

1800  the  Sunday-School  Society  alone  paid  upward  of 
seventeen  thousand  dollars  for  hired  teachers.  But 
John  Wesley  and  others  who  saw  in  this  a  powerful 
instrument  for  instruction  in  religion  substituted  vol¬ 
unteer  for  paid  teachers,  and  with  this  obstacle  removed 
the  movement  spread  with  remarkable  success.  In 
1787  the  number  known  to  be  connected  with  these 
schools  was  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

First  Sunday  schools  in  America. — While  several 
schools  or  classes  of  religious  instruction  meeting  on 
Sunday  are  known  to  have  existed  previously,  the  first 
Sunday  school  patterned  after  the  Robert  Raikes  plan3 
so  far  as  the  writer  can  learn,  was  the  school  established 
by  William  Elliot  in  1785  in  his  own  home,  where  each 
Sabbath  afternoon  he  instructed  the  white  boys  “bound- 
out”  to  him,  and  the  girls  in  his  charge,  together  with 
his  own  children.  Soon  the  children  of  neighbors  and 
friends  were  admitted.  The  Negro  slaves  and  servants 
were  similarly  taught  at  another  hour.  All  were  taught 
the  rudiments  of  reading  in  order  that  they  might  be 
able  to  read  God’s  Word  for  themselves,  the  Bible  beingj 
practically  the  only  textbook  in  the  school.  This  school1 
in  1801  was  transferred  to  Burton-Oak  Grove  Methodist 
Church,  Bradford’s  Neck,  Accomac  County,  Virginia, 
Mr.  Elliot  coming  with  it  as  its  first  superintendent  in 
the  new  church.  According  to  Miss  Wardle,  the  year 
1916  recorded  one  hundred  and  thirty- two  years  of 
aggressive  Sunday-school  effort  for  this  one  com¬ 
munity4. 

3 Marianna  C.  Brown,  in  Sunday-School  Movements  in  America  (pp.  19,  21), 
lists  the  following  places  in  America  as  having  Sunday  schools  before  the  Robert 
Raikes  plan  was  introduced:  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  1695;  Roxbury,  Massa¬ 
chusetts,  1674;  Ephrata,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  1740.  The  latter 
established  by  Ludwig  Thacker. 

4  Wardle — History  of  the  Sunday  School  Movement  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  p.  46. 

48 


FROM  1784-1860 


The  second  Sunday  school  was  established  by  Francis 
Asbury  in  1786  in  the  home  of  Thomas  Crenshaw, 
Hanover  County,  Virginia,  a  school  of  religion  for 
slaves.  In  1790  the  Methodist  Conference  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  gave  official  recognition  to  such  schools 
by  the  following  action  in  question  and  answer  form 
“What  can  be  done  in  order  to  instruct  poor  children 
(whites  and  blacks)  to  read?  Let  us  labor,  as  the  heart 
and  soul  of  one  man,  to  establish  Sunday  schools,  in  or 
near  the  place  of  public  worship.  Let  persons  be  ap¬ 
pointed  by  the  bishops,  elders,  deacons,  or  preachers 
to  teach  {gratis)  all  that  will  attend  and  have  capacity 
to  learn,  from  six  o’clock  in  the  morning  till  ten;  and 
from  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  till  six,  where  it  does 
not  interfere  with  public  worship. 

“The  council  shall  compile  a  proper  schoolbook  to 
teach  them  learning  and  piety.”5 

Pray  cites  the  following  early  Sunday-school  enter¬ 
prises:  December  26,  1790,  The  First  Day  or  Sunday- 
School  Society  organized  in  Philadelphia.  Officers  were 
elected  on  January  n,  1791,  Bishop  White  as  president. 
In  March,  1791,  the  first  school  opened.  In  1793  the 
society  voted  “that  the  instructions  to  be  given  in  these 
schools  should  be  confined  to  reading  and  writing  from 
the  Bible;  but  for  such  scholars  as  had  not  learned  to 
read,  spelling  books  and  primers  might  be  used.”6 

In  1797  a  Sunday  school  was  organized  at  Pawtucket, 
Rhode  Island;  in  1803,  one  at  Hudson,  New  York;  in 
1810,  one  at  Beverly,  Massachusetts;  in  1812  the  first 
one  in  Boston,  West  Parish;  in  1812,  at  Brunswick, 


s  Minutes  of  the  Methodist  Conferences  annually  held  in  America,  1773  to  1794, 
inclusive,  published  1795.  P-  I47* 

«  Pray — History  of  Sunday  Schools  and  of  Religious  Education  from  the  Earliest 
Times,  pp.  2o6ff. 


49 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

V 

Maine;  in  1813,  at  Albany;  in  1814,  at  New  York  and 
Wilmington. 

Rise  of  Sunday-School  Unions. — Little  educational 
progress  is  to  be  reported  for  America  between  the  War 
for  American  Independence  and  the  War  of  1812. 
Political  conditions  were  so  unstable  and  the  financial 
burdens  upon  the  people  so  staggering  that  education  was 
comparatively  a  neglected  interest.  Nevertheless,  there 
was  a  growing  interest  in  Sunday-school  education,  as 
we  have  noted,  due  doubtless  to  response  to  a  desperate 
need,  but  the  movements  under  way  were  halted  by  the 
new  war.  However,  when  this  war  had  been  won  the 
nation  faced  the  future  with  a  new  confidence  and  began 
to  take  up  vigorously  the  development  of  education 
along  with  other  vital  interests.  Religious  education 
shared  this  rebirth  of  interest,  and  we  find  “Unions” 
for  the  promotion  of  Sunday-school  work  being  organized 
in  leading  cities  such  as  New  York,  1816;  Boston,  1816; 
Philadelphia,  1817.  In  1824  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  which  was  destined  to  play  so  large  a 
part  in  the  nation-wide  promotion  of  the  movement, 
was  organized.  It  was  an  outgrowth  of  the  Sunday  and 
Adult  School  Union,  which  was  organized  in  Phila¬ 
delphia  in  1817.  By  the  year  1830  some  of  the  leading 
denominations  had  also  organized  Sunday-School  Unions 
and  the  Sunday  school  was  in  the  midst  of  an  era  of 
rapidly  growing  popularity. 

MOVEMENTS  IN  GENERAL  EDUCATION 

Before  tracing  further  the  development  of  the  Sunday 
school,  let  us  study  the  progress  of  general  education. 
We  have  already  noted  near  the  close  of  the  colonial 
period  a  marked  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  common 
schools  to  get  away  from  religious  instruction.  The 

50 


FROM  1784-1860 


introduction  of  new  textbooks  displacing  the  Bible  and 
the  primer  was  one  of  the  greatest  factors.  Dillworth’s 
A  New  Guide  io  the  English  Tongue ,  published  in  Eng¬ 
land  in  1740,  and  introduced  into  the  colonies  in  1750, 
was  the  first  of  these  textbooks  to  displace  the  Bible. 
It  contained  words  for  spelling  and  a  number  of  fables. 
In  1783  the  first  distinctively  American  textbook  of  this 
kind  appeared,  Noah  Webster’s  American  Spelling  Book , 
which  met  with  very  great  popularity. 

Other  textbooks  followed,  such  as  Webster’s  The 
Little  Reader's  Assistant  (1790),  The  Columbian  Primer 
(1802),  The  Franklin  Primer  (1802),  Bingham’s  American 
Preceptor  (1794),  and  The  Columbian  Orator  (1806). 
Cubberley  says  of  these:  “ The  Preceptor  was  a  graded 
reader  and  soon  replaced  the  Bible  as  an  advanced  read¬ 
ing  book,  while  The  Orator  was  one  of  the  earliest  of 
a  long  list  of  books  containing  selections  from  poetry 
and  prose  for  reading  and  declamation.  These  books 
suited  well  the  new  democratic  spirit  of  the  times,  and 
became  very  popular.”7  Textbooks  in  arithmetic,  gram¬ 
mar,  and  geography  also  appeared  about  the  same  time, 
and  a  little  later  books  on  United  States  history. 

Elimination  of  religious  materials. — So  completely 
does  the  Bible  seem  to  have  been  displaced  in  the 
common  schools  by  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  that  the  Rev.  Thomas  Thatcher  of  Dedham, 
Massachusetts,  in  an  ordination  sermon  for  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Tuckerman  protests  that  “the  reading  of  Scrip¬ 
ture  in  schools  is  either  wholly  neglected  or  reduced  to 
an  inferior  and  disgusting  part  of  puerile  duty.”8 

The  story  of  the  divorcement  of  general  education 


7  Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  218.  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  publishers.  Used  by  permission. 

8  Pray — History  of  Sunday  Schools  and  of  Religious  Education,  p.  198. 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


from  religious  education  and  the  development  of  an 
American  public-school  system  independent  of  any 
church  control  with  Bible  study  eliminated  is  one 
of  the  most  significant  chapters  in  educational  history. 
That  a  public-school  system  independent  of  any  sec¬ 
tarian  control  was  necessary  seems  to  the  writer  to  be 
self-evident.  That  the  elimination  of  direct  instruction 
in  the  Bible  and  all  other  religious  materials  was 
necessary  is  not  so  evident.  The  reasons  for  such 
elimination  are  apparent,  but  the  necessity  cannot  be 
proved,  and  the  result  has  been  a  very  serious  defect  in 
a  great  and  highly  effective  public-school  system.  It 
seems  to  be  the  story  of  a  reaction  which  went  too  far. 

Early  education  in  America  was  too  completely  under 
church  control.  It  was  also  too  aristocratic.  The 
secondary  schools  and  colleges  had  little  interest  beyond 
that  of  preparing  students  for  the  “learned  professions 
or  for  the  occupation  of  a  gentleman.”  That  the  rising 
tide  of  democratic  ideals  in  this  new  land  would  over¬ 
throw  such  a  conception  of  education  was  inevitable. 
Furthermore,  the  churches  of  this  era  have  themselves 
to  blame  in  large  part  for  being  so  intolerant  that  they 
could  not  agree  upon  the  common  religious  fundamentals 
which  might  be  taught  in  a  public-school  system. 

The  rising  tide  of  democratic  feeling,  the  extension  of 
universal  suffrage,  the  rapid  growth  of  cities,  and  the 
increasing  demands  of  rapidly  developing  industrial 
interests  were  also  very  important  factors  in  determin¬ 
ing  the  new  forms  of  public  education. 

Development  of  free,  tax-supported  public-school 
system. — The  most  significant  stages  in  the  struggle 
for  free,  tax-supported,  nonsectarian,  state-controlled 
schools,  according  to  Cubberley,  are  as  follows: 

“(i)  The  battle  for  tax  support.  (2)  The  battle  to 

52 


FROM  1784-1860 


eliminate  the  pauper-school  idea.  (3)  The  battle  to 
make  the  schools  entirely  free.  (4)  The  battle  to 
establish  State  supervision.  (5)  The  battle  tQ  eliminate 
sectarianism.  (6)  The  battle  to  extend  the  system  up¬ 
ward.  (7)  Addition  of  the  State  university  to  crown 
the  system.”9 

In  describing  this  development  Cubberley  says:  “In 
1825  such  schools  were  the  distant  hope  of  statesmen 
and  reformers;  in  1850  they  were  becoming  an  actuality 
in  almost  every  Northern  State.  The  twenty-five  years 
intervening  marked  a  period  of  public  agitation  and 
educational  propaganda,  of  many  hard  legislative 
fights,  of  a  struggle  to  secure  desired  legislation  and  then 
to  hold  what  had  been  secured,  of  many  bitter  contests 
with  church  and  private  school  interests,  which  felt 
that  their  ‘vested  rights’  were  being  taken  away  from 
them,  and  of  occasional  referenda  in  which  the  people 
were  asked,  at  the  next  election,  to  advise  the  Legislature 
what  to  do.  Excepting  the  battle  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  perhaps  no  question  has  ever  been  before  the 
American  people  for  settlement  which  caused  so  many 
antagonisms.”10  The  battle  was  clearly  won  in  the 
North  by  the  middle  of  the  century,  but  the  Civil  War 
so  held  up  the  development  of  the  system  that  it  was 
not  until  the  close  of  the  war  that  the  public-school 
system  of  America  began  its  era  of  progress. 

One  of  the  significant  experiments  of  this  period  in 
the  field  of  general  education  was  the  inauguration  of 
what  is  known  as  the  Lancaster  System.  Prior  to  this 
time  most  of  the  instruction  given  in  the  schools  had 
been  by  the  method  of  individual  recitations.  Joseph 


9  Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  Stales,  p.  128, 

10  Ibid.,  p.  1 19. 


53 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Lancaster  and  another  Englishman,  Dr.  Anderson  Bell, 
at  about  the  same  time  perceived  the  advantage  of 
using  monitors.  Since  drills  were  the  main  feature  of 
instruction,  all  that  was  necessary  was  to  arrange  the 
materials  in  suitable  form  for  drills,  and  to  prepare  as 
drill-masters  some  of  the  brightest  pupils.  Originally 
the  plan  was  to  teach  only  reading  and  the  catechism, 
but  it  was  soon  extended  to  teach  writing,  simple  sums, 
spelling,  and  higher  subjects.  So  enthusiastic  were  the 
supporters  of  this  plan  that  many  expected  this  system 
to  create  a  new  era  in  education. 

But  the  net  result  of  the  movement  was  far  less  than 
many  anticipated.  It  was  very  popular  from  1810  to 
1830,  but  had  lost  much  of  its  popularity  by  1840. 
However,  it  did  leave  certain  lasting  benefits.  It  emanci¬ 
pated  the  common  schools  from  the  slow  method  of  one 
pupil  reciting  a  whole  lesson  privately  to  his  teacher. 
By  enabling  one  teacher  to  guide  more  pupils  it  helped 
to  make  practical  the  idea  of  a  free-school  system. 
Furthermore,  the  agitation  in  favor  of  the  system  had  a 
wholesome  effect  in  interesting  the  public,  and  lastly  it 
proved  to  be  a  forerunner  of  a  teacher-training  system. 

Training  for  public-school  teachers. — No  movement 
in  general  education  was  more  influential  in  improving 
both  public  schools  and  in  the  long  run  Sunday  schools 
than  the  teacher-training  movement  as  developed 
through  State  normal  schools.  The  first  teacher-training 
school  was  a  private  institution  established  in  1823  by 
the  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Hall  in  Concord,  Vermont.  This  he 
maintained  at  Concord  until  1830,  when  he  moved 
the  school  to  Andover,  Massachusetts,  until  1837,  and 
finally  to  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  until  1840.  The 
Lancaster  schools  had  a  system  of  training  for  monitors, 
and  the  academies  began  teacher  training  about  1827. 

54 


FROM  1784-1860 


But  after  considerable  agitation  the  first  State  normal 
was  established  through  the  influence  of  Horace  Mann 
in  1839  at  Lexington,  Massachusetts.  This  contained 
a  new  feature  for  training  schools  in  the  form  of  a  model 
school  for  the  practice  of  students. 

It  would  be  difficult  for  a  modern  student  to  appre¬ 
ciate  the  opposition  which  Mr.  Mann  and  his  zealous 
colleagues  met.  The  teaching  profession  as  a  whole 
considered  such  a  movement  as  a  reflection  upon  their 
work.  But  Massachusetts  established  three  such  schools 
within  little  more  than  a  year,  and  the  movement  was 
successful  from  the  beginning.  The  following  States  had 
established  normal  schools  by  i860:11  Massachusetts 
(three),  1839,  1840;  New  York,  1844;  Connecticut,  1849; 
Michigan,  1849;  Rhode  Island,  1854;  New  Jersey,  1855; 
Illinois,  1857;  Pennsylvania,  1859;  Minnesota,  i860. 
It  was  the  State  normal  school  and  teacher-training 
institute  movement  which  gave  John  H.  Vincent  his 
inspiration  for  a  movement  to  train  Sunday-school 
teachers. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  DEVELOPMENT 

The  development  of  the  Sunday  school  in  this  period 
may  be  treated  under  the  following  headings:  “The 
Rise  of  the  Movement,”  “Missionary  Extension,” 
“Typical  School  Organization,”  “Lesson  Materials.” 
The  first  we  have  already  considered.  The  story  of  the 
spread  of  the  Sunday-school  movement  over  America 
reads  like  a  romance.  It  is  the  story  of  heroic  pioneers 
like  Stephen  Paxson,  who  braved  the  trackless  forests, 
forded  rivers,  and  suffered  untold  hardships  in  order  to 
establish  Sunday  schools  and  circulate  religious  reading 


11  Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  293. 

55 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


matter  where  there  were  no  other  religious  influences. 
It  is  also  the  story  of  devoted  laymen,  giving  their  time 
and  their  money  unselfishly  in  order  that  boys  and 
girls  in  this  new  land  might  have  a  chance  to  know 
about  Jesus  Christ  and  his  ideals.  It  is  the  narrative  of 
great  preachers,  such  as  Bullard,  Tyng,  Bushnell,  and 
others,  who,  far  in  advance  of  most  of  the  clergy  of 
their  day,  saw  the  necessity  for  winning  and  training 
the  child  for  Jesus  Christ. 

Missionary  expansion  —  -The  American  Sunday- 
School  Union  placed  the  nation  eternally  in  their  debt 
by  their  support  of  Sunday-school  missionaries,  the 
preparation  of  lesson  materials,  and  the  circulation  of 
inexpensive  .reading  books  before  the  denominations 
took  up  the  work  in  any  large  way.  At  the  sixth 
anniversary  of  the  American  Sunday-School  Union, 
held  in  Washington  Square  Presbyterian  Church, 
Philadelphia,  it  was  resolved,  “That  the  Union,  in 
reliance  upon  divine  aid,  will  within  two  years  establish 
a  Sunday  school  in  every  destitute  place  where  it  is 
practicable  throughout  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.5’12 

The  importance  and  difficulties  of  this  undertaking 
will  be  better  appreciated  when  we  consider  that  the 
population  of  the  country  at  this  time,  1830,  was  ap¬ 
proximately  13,000,000;  that  “ Chicago  was  only  a  mud 
hamlet,  not  then  having  attained  the  dignity  of  a 
Western  village,  and  that  most  of  Illinois  was  a  wild 
prairie  or  a  howling  wilderness.5’13  Twenty-five  thou¬ 
sand  dollars  was  raised  for  this  daring  enterprise  the 
first  year,  and  sixty  thousand  was  expended  within  two 
years.  The  work  was  heroically  and  successfully  done 


14  Experiences  and  Missionary  Labors  of  Stephen  Paxson,  by  his  daughter,  B. 
Paxson  Drury.  Published  by  The  American  Sunday-School  Union,  1882,  p.  29. 
11  Ibid.,  p.  30. 

5$ 


FROM  1784-1860 


by  Stephen  Paxson  and  others.  Many  a  Sunday  school 
was  planted  by  these  intrepid  pioneers  where  there  was 
no  other  form  of  school  and  no  church.  The  Union 
wisely  made  a  great  feature  of  its  literature,  and  in  many 
a  frontier  lonely  hut  and  isolated  community  this 
literature  proved  to  be  an  inestimable  blessing. 

Typical  Sunday  schools. — To  picture  an  average 
Sunday  school  in  any  period  is  exceedingly  difficult, 
and  particularly  so  during  the  years  which  we  are 
now  considering.  Clearly  some  of  the  schools,  such 
as  the  one  over  which  Mr.  Pray  presided  as  superin¬ 
tendent,  Twelfth  Congregational,  Boston,  or  Saint 
George’s,  New  York,  under  Dr.  Tyng,  were  very  credit¬ 
able  schools  of  religion  for  their  day,  but  it  is  certain 
that  on  the  frontiers  and  in  many  centers  of  population 
the  work  was  very  crude.  There  are,  however,  a  few 
elements  which  the  schools  shared  in  common.  Most 
of  them  recognized  at  least  two  departments,  an  infant 
school  and  a  senior  school,  and  the  good  ones  had  many 
classes  in  each.  Although  the  Sunday  school  was  essen¬ 
tially  an  institution  for  children,  adults  seem  to  have 
taken  a  great  interest  in  it  from  the  beginning,  and 
very  frequently  throughout  this  period  we  note  a  de¬ 
mand  for  aspecial  lessons  for  adults.” 

A  second  common  element  was  the  general  curriculum 
material.  The  Bible  and  the  catechism  were  universally 
used.  In  fact,  the  catechism  was  frequently  employed 
as  a  means  of  imparting  biblical  instruction.  It  was 
very  popular  in  the  first  one- third  of  this  period,  then 
waned  in  interest  while  the  students  applied  themselves 
more  directly  to  Bible  study.  It  came  back  with  a 
revival  of  interest  in  New  England  and  other  sections 
of  the  country  between  1836  and  1850,  but  declined 
again.  Nevertheless,  in  one  form  or  another  the 

57 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


catechism  has  maintained  a  strong  measure  of  favor  as 
a  method  of  religious  instruction  until  very  recent  times. 

A  great  deal  of  ingenuity  and  skill  were  shown  in  sim¬ 
plifying  catechisms  and  in  making  them  effective  means 
for  the  study  of  Biblical  history  as  well  as  Christian 
doctrine.  Note  the  following  excerpts  from  catechisms 
examined  by  the  writer  in  the  library  of  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union,  in  Philadelphia. 

I.  Watts’  First  Catechism.  Typical  questions: 

i.  Can  you  tell  me,  child,  who  made  you? 

A.  The  great  God  who  made  heaven  and  earth. 

This  catechism  was  not  a  study  of  Scripture  but  of 
scriptural  doctrines. 

II.  The  First  Catechism,  by  Dr.  Watts.  Improved  Edition 

with  Exercises. 

Contains  supplementary  questions  on  each  major 
question  as: 

1 .  Who  made  you  ? 

A.  The  great  God  who  made  heaven  and  earth. 

Who  made  heaven  and  earth?  What  is  God  called 
who  made  heaven  and  earth? 

This  catechism  also  contains  a  “Catechism  on  Scriptural 
Names/’  as  well  as  “Prayers  and  Graces  for  Children.” 

III.  Watts’  Second  Catechism ,  With  Proofs  and  Prayers. 

IV.  Historical  Catechism. 

The 

Abridged  Bible  Catechism 
Arranged 

In  Forty  Divisions 
All  the 

Answers  to  the  Questions 
Being  in  the  exact  words  of  Scripture. 

By  W.  F.  Loyd,  2nd  Edition,  London,  1823. 

58 


FROM  1784-1860 

V.  A  Catechism — The  Answers  of  Which  Rhyme  With  the 
Questions. 

1.  Q.  Who  made  you,  child,  and  bade  you  live? 

A.  God  did  my  life  and  spirit  give. 

What  did  God  give?  Whose  life  and  spirit  did 
God  give? 

Who  gave  you  life  and  spirit? 

2.  Q.  Who  keeps  you  safely,  can  you  tell? 

A.  God  keeps  me  safe  and  makes  me  well,  etc. 

VI. 

A 

Preservative 
From  the 
Sins  and  Follies 
of 

Childhood  and  Youth 
or 

A  Brief  Account 
of  the 

Sins,  Vices,  and  Frailties 
To  which 

Childhood  and  Youth  Are  Liable  and  of  Which 
They  Should  Be  Warned  Early. 

Drawn  up  in  the  Way  of 
Questions  and  Answers, 

With  Arguments  Against  Them,  Taken  from 
Reason  and  Scripture. 

By  Isaac  Watts,  D.D., 

London,  1820. 

Method  of  study. — The  main  reliance  in  method  of 
study  was  upon  memorization  both  of  the  Bible  and  of  the 
catechisms.  Children  performed  the  most  astonishing 
feats  of  memorization,  some  of  them  having  as  many  as 
hundreds  of  verses  to  their  credit,  for  which  they  re- 

59 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


ceived  as  a  reward  tickets,  or  a  Bible,  or  some  good  book. 
We  read  of  one  scholar  who  memorized  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty-two  verses,  of  others  who  com¬ 
mitted  to  memory  the  four  Gospels,  and  it  is  said  that 
most  of  the  scholars  could  recite  at  least  one  hundred 
verses  of  an  evening.  During  the  latter  half  of  this 
period  a  distinct  effort  was  made  to  get  away  from  so 
complete  a  dependence  upon  memorization,  and  to  get 
the  pupil  to  analyze  verses,  breaking  them  up  into 
fragments  and  explaining  them.  Question  books  be¬ 
came  a  popular  form  of  lesson  material.  However,  it 
must  be  confessed  that  memorization  remained  the 
principal  method  of  learning  even  where  “question 
books”  were  used. 

Direct  Bible  study  . — When  the  tide  of  interest  in 
direct  Bible  study  began  to  rise  the  pupils  were  en¬ 
couraged  to  memorize  Bible  verses  without  limit. 
About  all  that  the  teacher  could  do  was  to  hear  the 
verses  recited  and  to  check  up  the  pupil  for  accuracy 
of  memory.  Then  the  leaders  began  to  favor  limiting 
the  number  of  verses  to  be  studied  in  a  given  week  to  a 
few  verses  in  succession  in  the  hope  that  this  would 
lead  the  pupil  to  analyze  each  verse. 

However,  according  to  Bullard,14  “it  was  found,  after 
a  short  time,  that  many  of  the  teachers  could  do  but 
little  more  than  hear  the  scholars  repeat  these  few  verses, 
as  they  used  to  repeat  their  chapters.  They  were  not 
able  to  ask  questions  and  interest  the  scholars  by  any 
instructions  connected  with  the  lesson.  .  .  .  This  state 
of  things  led  many  to  see  the  need  of  some  helps  and 
questions  to  be  prepared  by  persons  especially  qualified 
for  this  work,  on  the  lessons  both  to  aid  the  scholars  in 


14  Bullard — Fifty  Years  with  the  Sabbath  Schools,  pp.  52,  53.  Boston,  Lock- 
wood,  Brookes  &  Co.,  1876. 

60 


FROM  1784-1860 


studying  the  lessons  and  the  teachers  in  imparting 
instruction.  And  this  led  to  $ie  preparation  of  question 
books  which  for  many  years,  till  the  publication  of  the 
‘Uniform  Lesson  Papers,’  most  of  the  schools,  at  least 
in  New  England,  have  used.  Indeed,  most  of  them 
that  use  the  Uniform  Lessons  still  prefer  question  books 
to  the  lesson  papers.” 

Curriculum  in  best  schools. — Evidently,  there  were 
some  schools  even  in  this  early  day  which  selected 
courses  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  various  classes  instead 
of  using  simply  catechisms  or  question  books.  Pray15 
gives  the  following  as  “books  used  in  Nathaniel  A. 
Haven’s  School”: — Hymns  for  Infant  Minds ,  Prayers 
Committed  to  Memory ,  Watts’  Shorter  Catechism  and  the 
Commandments ,  Watts’  Historical  Catechism ,  Cum¬ 
mings’  Scripture  Questions ,  Lessons  from  Scripture , 
Paley’s  Natural  Theology ,  Watts’  Improvement  of  the 
Mind  and  Mason’s  Self  Knowledge . 

He  also  adds  a  more  elaborate  and  perfect  course  of 
instruction  which  is  recommended  by  the  Sunday- 
School  Society  (Congregational).16 

If  space  permitted,  we  would  print  reports  of  the 
sessions  of  several  schools,  but  one  may  be  taken  as 
typical.  The  superintendent  of  the  Congregational 
Sabbath  school  in  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  the 
Rev.  Professor  Peabody,  in  a  letter  dated  December  25, 
1829,  speaks  as  follows  of  the  mode  of  conducting  that 
school: 

“First,  prayer  by  the  superintendent,  all  the  children 
standing  in  one  and  the  same  attitude,  and  at  the  close, 
audibly  joining  in  the  Lord’s  Prayer.  Then  the  class 


15  Pray — History  of  Sunday  Schools  and  of  Religious  Education  from  the  Earliest 
Times,  p.  218. 

■  Ibid.,  pp.  251,  252. 

6l 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


recitations.  Then  the  superintendent  relates  some 
anecdotes,  or  remarks  on  some  Scripture  truth  or  some 
remarkable  providence.  Since  requiring  the  children  to 
join  In  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  the  superintendent  has  usually 
occupied  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  in  illustrating  and 
enforcing  practically  the  several  parts  of  it.  The  school 
is  closed  by  singing  in  which  all  are  desired  to  unite. 
Our  plan  has  thus  far  succeeded  admirably.”17 

The  Sunday-school  concert. — One  of  the  most 
unique  features  of  the  Sunday  schools  of  this  period 
was  the  Sunday-school  concert.  This  was  a  very  popular 
week-night  service  in  which  the  program  consisted 
principally  of  prayer,  brief  address  by  the  pastor  or 
some  other  speaker  and  the  reciting  of  Scripture  verses 
which  had  been  memorized.  The  last  named  feature 
may  have  accounted  considerably  for  its  popularity,  for 
it  is  certain  that  the  meetings  drew  crowded  houses  and 
appealed  to  the  same  interest  which  made  the  debating 
societies  and  spelling  bees  of  this  period  also  popular. 
It  seems  to  have  been  very  helpful  in  stimulating 
Sunday-school  enthusiasm  during  the  first  half  of  the 
century. 

TEACHER  TRAINING 

Near  the  close  of  the  period  there  was  a  marked 
awakening  of  interest  In  teacher  training,  but  the 
interest  did  not  bring  about  such  results  as  are  to  be 
noted  in  the  next  period.  However,  the  best  Sunday- 
school  superintendents  even  in  this  early  day  made  an 
effort  to  train  their  teachers.  One  of  the  books  especially 
written  for  teachers  and  published  by  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union  is  entitled  The  Teacher  Taught: 
an  Humble  Attempt  to  Make  the  Path  of  the  Teacher 

17  Bullard — Fifty  Years  with  the  Sabbath  Schools,  pp.  53,  54. 

62 


FROM  1784-1860 


Straight  and  Plain.  This  book  (page  209)  says,  “It 
was  a  prominent  feature  of  the  plan  to  organize  the 
officers  and  teachers  of  the  school  into  a  class  to  be  con¬ 
ducted  by  the  pastor  of  the  church  (if  any)  to  which 
the  school  belonged,  and  to  gain  from  him  and  from 
mutual  conferences  a  full  knowledge  of  the  subject  of 
instruction.5’ 

Sunday-school  aims. — The  central  aim  of  the  Sun¬ 
day-school  leaders  of  this  period  is  easily  discovered. 
The  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  rector  of  Saint  George’s 
Church,  New  York,  writing  in  i860  and  looking  back 
over  forty  years  of  experience,  says,  “You  will  see 
that  this  whole  train  of  remark  is  founded  upon  my 
previous  assertion  of  the  purpose  of  Sunday-school 
teaching — that  it  is  the  actual  conversion  of  children 
to  God.”18 

Many  similar  quotations  could  be  given.  The  ideal 
of  training  for  effective  Christian  service  in  this  life 
was  not  entirely  forgotten,  but  it  was  overshadowed  by 
the  other  purpose.  It  must  have  been  held  by  many, 
either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  that  if  the  individual 
once  “got  right  with  God,”  divine  guidance  would 
protect  and  inspire  him  through  the  journey  of  life 
without  much  assistance  from  teachers.  The  amount 
of  attention  given  to  preparing  the  child  for  death  is 
bewildering  to  the  student  of  to-day.  The  children’s 
story  papers  featured  deathbed  scenes.  Examples  of 
children  who  wanted  to  die  and  “be  in  the  arms  of 
Jesus”  are  frequently  brought  to  the  attention  of  the 
young  readers. 

We  may  say  that  the  dominant  ideal  of  this  period 
was  conversion  and  that  a  secondary  ideal  was  knowledge 
of  the  subject  matter  of  the  Bible.  One  cannot  escape 

18  Tyng — Forty  Years'  Experience  in  Sunday  Schools,  pp.  89,  90. 

63 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  conviction  that  Bible  verses  in  the  minds  of  young 
scholars  were  expected  to  work  like  magic  by  bringing 
about  conversion  whether  the  pupil  understood  their 
meaning  or  not.  Naturally,  there  were  frequent  pro¬ 
tests  against  the  cramming  of  unexplained  verses  and 
catechism  answers  into  young  minds,  but  the  prevailing 
practice  at  least  until  near  the  end  of  the  period  over¬ 
ruled  these  protests.  Many  Bible  stories  and  verses  are 
so  simple  that  they  will  carry  their  own  message,  and 
the  mere  memorization  of  these  by  pupils  whose  teachers 
are  incompetent  will  accomplish  good,  but  neither  the 
aims  nor  the  methods  of  this  period  were  adequate. 
We  do  not  minimize  the  great  achievements  of  these 
heroic,  devoted  workers  when  we  cite  the  limitations 
under  which  they  labored. 

SUMMARY 

This  chapter  has  attempted  to  trace  briefly  the  rise 
of  the  Sunday-school  movement  in  America  after 
receiving  its  initial  impulse  from  Robert  Raikes  in 
England.  That  it  peculiarly  fitted  the  needs  of  this 
new  land  and  spread  rapidly  across  the  frontier  as  well 
as  in  centers  of  habitation  is  a  matter  of  record.  We 
have  noted  the  gradual  development  of  a  national 
system  of  free,  tax-supported,  State-controlled  public 
schools  which  eliminated  both  the  Bible  and  all  other 
definite  religious  materials  from  its  curriculum.  We 
have  noted  the  progress  toward  perfecting  this  public- 
school  system,  especially  the  movement  in  State  normal 
schools  to  prepare  teachers.  And,  finally,  we  have  tried 
to  glimpse  the  growing  Sunday-school  movement,  noting 
typical  cases  of  school  method  and  of  curriculum  to¬ 
gether  with  typical  statements  of  the  aims  of  Sunday- 

64 


( 


FROM  1784-1860 


school  education  for  this  period.  On  the  whole  this  was 
a  period  of  great  expansion  of  Sunday-school  interest. 
The  perfection  of  the  materials  and  methods  of  these 
schools  is  the  task  of  a  later  day  but  great  credit  must 
be  given  to  these  pioneers  of  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century  who  laid  so  well  the  foundations  of 
religious  instruction  in  a  day  when  the  nation  was  per¬ 
fecting  a  system  of  general  education  without  the  use  of 
religious  materials. 

Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  What  were  the  most  significant  achievements  of 
the  Sunday-school  leaders  of  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century? 

2  Investigate  further  the  development  of  the  public- 
school  system  during  this  period  in  its  several 
aspects  such  as  ( a )  organization  and  adminis¬ 
tration,  ( b )  curriculum,  (c)  teacher  training. 

3.  To  what  extent  did  the  system  of  Sunday-school 

instruction  keep  pace  with  the  system  of  public- 
school  instruction? 

4.  Investigate  and  describe  types  of  Sunday  schools 

of  this  period  in  ( a )  New  England,  ( b )  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  ( c )  the  Western  frontier. 

5.  Estimate  the  value  to  the  nation  of  the  services 

rendered  by  the  frontier  missionaries  of  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union. 

6.  Estimate  the  value  of  the  services  rendered  by  the 

American  Sunday-School  Union  in  the  circula¬ 
tion  of  good  literature. 

7.  What  do  you  think  were  the  aims  of  the  Sunday- 

school  leaders  of  this  period — to  what  extent 
were  they  adequate? 

8.  Of  what  value  was  the  Sunday-school  concert? 

65 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


9.  To  what  extent  were  Sunday-school  teachers  being 
trained? 

Brief  bibliography  of  selected  reference: 

Harris — Robert  Raikes:  The  Man  and  His  Work.  E.  P. 
Dutton  &  Company,  New  York,  1899. 

Watson — The  First  Fifty  Years  of  the  Sunday  School. 
Sunday-School  Union,  London,  n.  d. 

Rice — The  Sunday-School  Movement  and  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union,  lySo-igiy.  The  American  Sun¬ 
day-School  Union,  Philadelphia,  1917. 

Pray — The  History  of  Sunday  Schools  and  of  Religious 
Education  from  the  Earliest  Times.  William  Crosby 
and  H.  P.  Nichols,  Boston,  1847. 

Bullard — Fifty  Years  With  the  Sabbath  Schools.  Lock- 
wood,  Brookes  &  Company,  1876. 

Tyng — Forty  Years’  Experience  in  Sunday  Schools. 
Sheldon  and  Company,  New  York,  i860. 

Drury,  B.  Paxson — Experiences  and  Labors  of  Stephen 
Paxson.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union,  Phila¬ 
delphia,  1882. 

Wardle — History  of  the  Sunday-School  Movement  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  Methodist  Book 
Concern,  New  York,  1918. 

Brown — Sunday-School  Movements  in  America.  Flem¬ 
ing  H.  Revell,  New  York,  1901. 

Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States. 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston,  1919. 

Brown — The  Making  of  Our  Middle  Schools.  Long¬ 
mans,  Green  and  Co.,  New  York,  1918. 

Dexter — History  of  Education  in  the  United  States. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York,  1919. 


66 


CHAPTER  IV 


fj 

THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  FROM  1860-1900 

The  first  half  of  the  period  which  we  are  about  to 
discuss  would  be  described  by  many  as  the  most 
significant  period  in  all  Sunday-school  history.  It  was 
featured  by  the  leadership  of  remarkable  men,  and  the 
movements  inaugurated  by  them  had  far-reaching 
influence  not  only  in  the  field  of  religious  education,  but 
also  in  the  field  of  general  popular  education. 

A  great  war  such  as  the  Civil  War  in  America,  or  the 
recent  World  War,  may  always  be  expected  to  awaken 
a  new  interest  in  religious  education.  The  foundations 
of  society  are  shaken  by  such  a  catastrophe,  the  pas¬ 
sions  of  men  are  at  their  worst.  Hatred,  murder,  pillage, 
and  lust  are  the  inevitable  accompaniments  of  war,  even 
though  the  soldiers  have  high  ideals  for  their  own  nations 
and  sacrifice  themselves  for  these  ideals  nobly.  But  a 
war  jars  people  from  their  complacency.  To  rebuild  a 
devastated  world  nations  must  first  restore  morale,  re¬ 
build  human  character  for  better  achievement.  Facing 
such  a  problem,  emphasis  upon  religious  education  is 
inevitable.  This  was  precisely  the  case  in  1865  and  the 
years  immediately  following,  as  it  was  in  America  imme¬ 
diately  after  the  year  1918. 

However,  Sunday-school  progress  would  seem  to 
have  been  inevitable  even  if  there  had  been  no  war. 
The  National  Convention  of  1859  indicated  that  the 
growth  of  Sunday-school  interest  had  been  rapid  and 
widespread.  The  finally  complete  divorcement  of  public- 
school  education  from  religious  education  made  the 

67 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


church  turn  its  attention  to  this  as  its  one  best  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  teach  religion  to  the  young.  And  the  normal- 
school  movement  which  had  swept  over  the  country 
and  was  producing  results  of  the  most  gratifying  sig¬ 
nificance  was  certain  to  be  felt  sooner  or  later  in  a 
movement  for  the  normal  training  of  Sunday-school 
teachers. 

The  fact  is  that  the  first  twenty  years  of  this  period 
mark  one  of  the  most  significant  epochs  in  the  history 
of  religious  education.  The  articles  appearing  in  the 
religious  periodicals  of  this  period  give  evidence  that 
the  air  was  electric  with  anticipation  and  confidence. 
For  the  writers  a  new  day  had  dawned  in  Christian 
progress.  The  Bible  was  to  be  studied  as  never  before, 
teachers  were  to  be  made  competent,  colleges  and 
seminaries  were  to  cooperate  actively  in  the  preparation 
of  Sunday-school  teachers. 

To  see  to  what  extent  these  high  hopes  were  realized 
will  be  the  task  of  the  student  of  this  chapter.  Much 
was  done  and  much  was  left  for  a  later  generation  to 
do.  We  will  seek  to  discover  how  much  the  leaders 
actually  accomplished  in  this  period,  to  what  extent 
they  may  have  failed,  and  what  were  the  net  results 
of  their  achievements. 

ADVANCE  BEGINS  WITH  TEACHER  TRAIN  NG 

Probably  no  factor  is  more  responsible  for  the  success 
of  the  movement  in  this  era  than  the  great  interest  in 
teacher  training  which  ushered  in  the  period  and  made 
many  of  the  later  developments  possible.  The  success 
of  the  State  normal  schools  and  the  State  and  county 
teachers’  institutes  had  overcome  all  opposition  to 
normal  training  and  clearly  made  possible  a  new  day  in 
public-school  education.  The  significance  of  this  move- 

68 


FROM  1860-1900 


ment  profoundly  impressed  the  Sunday-school  leaders. 
During  the  first  half  of  the  century  able  leaders  had 
pleaded  for  the  training  of  Sunday-school  teachers,  a 
few  books  and  pamphlets  had  been  written  to  assist  in 
such  training,  and  some  of  the  good  schools  had  main¬ 
tained  successful  teachers’  meetings.  The  Rev.  D.  P. 
Kidder,  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Sunday-School 
Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  suggested  in 
1847  ^at  the  church  use  the  method  of  teachers’  insti¬ 
tutes  which  was  proving  so  helpful  to  public- school 
teachers.  He  urged  the  formation  of  “Normal  Sunday 
Schools,”  and  in  1848  his  book,  The  Sunday-School 
Teachers'  Guide,  was  published.  However,  in  that  year 
while  urging  the  formation  of  training  classes,  he  said, 
“We  confess,  however,  that  we  fear  the  day  is  distant 
when  the  church  will  take  as  high  ground  on  this  sub¬ 
ject  as  that  already  assumed  by  several  States  of  this 
Union.”1 

But  sentiment  was  being  created  along  this  line,  and 
when  John  H.  Vincent,  in  i860,  presented  the  report  of 
the  Conference  Sunday-School  Committee  to  the  Rock 
River  Conference,  held  in  Chicago,  the  report  con¬ 
tained  the  following  suggestions:  “The  importance  of 
teachers’  institutes  to  the  educational  interest  of  our 
country  cannot  have  escaped  your  attention.  May  we 
not  profitably  introduce  something  similar  among  us? 
Such  an  institute  conducted  by  our  ablest  Sunday-school 
educators  could  not  fail  to  elevate  our  standard  and 
improve  our  system  of  religious  culture.”  The  report 
was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Conference. 

Mr.  Vincent  was  a  young  Methodist  preacher  who 
already  had  behind  him  several  years  of  experience  as 

1  Annual  Report  of  the  Sunday-School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Report  of  1848,  p.  99- 


69 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  teacher  of  a  “normal  class.  ”  The  response  of  his 
colleagues  in  the  Conference  was  hearty,  and  during  the 
next  few  years  he  held  numerous  successful  institutes. 
Allied  with  him  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago  were  a  number 
of  young  men,  such  as  B.  F.  Jacobs,  Edward  Eggleston, 
and  others,  who  were  zealous  promoters  of  improved 
methods  of  Sunday-school  work.  In  the  East  at  about 
the  same  time  Mr.  R.  G.  Pardee  and  Mr.  Ralph  Wells 
began  also  to  organize  institutes,  so  that  within  ten 
years  after  the  first  Illinois  Sunday-School  Teachers7 
Institute  had  held  its  session  the  plan  had  been  widely 
adopted  throughout  the  United  States. 

A  great  forward  step. — Undoubtedly  this  wide¬ 
spread  interest  in  teacher  training  and  the  improvement 
in  Sunday-school  methods  resulting  therefrom  made 
possible  what  some  have  called  “the  greatest  single  step 
ever  taken  by  the  Sunday  school” — the  creation  of  a 
system  of  International  Uniform  Sunday  School  Les¬ 
sons.  These  lessons  were  the  direct  result  of  the  efforts 
of  B.  F.  Jacobs,  a  layman  of  Chicago,  and  John  H. 
Vincent,  made  possible  through  the  growing  popularity 
of  national  and  international  Sunday-school  conventions. 

NATIONAL  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CONVENTIONS 

The  earliest  national  conventions  were  convened  in 
1832,  1833,  and  1859,  all  being  held  in  Philadelphia. 
The  Fourth  National  Convention  was  held  in  Newark, 
New  Jersey,  in  1869,  and  the  Fifth  National  Convention 
in  Indianapolis,  April  16-19,  1872. 

Fortunately,  the  Sunday-school  movement  has  never 
been  narrowly  sectarian.  The  present  type  of  the 
movement  received  its  initial  impulse  from  a  layman, 
Robert  Raikes,  and  the  early  organizations  in  America 
for  the  promotion  of  it  were  composed  largely  of  laymen. 

70 


FROM  1860-1900 


Clergymen,  however,  have  been  very  influential  in  pro¬ 
moting  the  work.  Such  names  as  Wesley,  Tyng,  Bullard, 
Vincent,  and  Blackall  will  indicate  how  much  they  have 
done  to  promote  and  guide  Sunday-school  development. 
Nevertheless,  it  has  not  been  until  very  recent  years 
that  the  churches  ofhcially  through  their  ministers  have 
become  such  powerful  factors  in  controlling  its  destinies 
as  they  are  to-day. 

The  great  Conventions  were  essentially  for  laymen, 
worked  up  by  laymen  with  the  aid  of  a  few  outstanding 
ministers  who  had  a  passion  for  Sunday-school  work. 
The  fact  that  laymen  are  not  so  interested  in  sectarian 
propaganda  as  ministers  and  the  fact  that  laymen  were 
the  controlling  force  in  Sunday-school  conventions  may 
account  in  part  for  the  action  in  1872.  After  careful 
deliberation,  and  almost  unanimously,  the  International 
Sunday-School  Convention  of  1872  created  an  Inter¬ 
national  Lesson  Committee  and  recommended  that  this 
committee  select  and  organize  lesson  materials  for  one 
uniform  Bible  lesson  to  be  used  throughout  the  world 
by  pupils  of  all  ages.  B.  F.  Jacobs,  of  Illinois,  a  layman 
with  a  genius  for  organization  and  a  passion  for  Sunday- 
school  work,  pushed,  the  plan  most  vigorously  supported 
by  John  H.  Vincent.  Edward  Eggleston  and  a  few  with 
him  opposed  the  scheme,  in  part  because  they  favored 
graded  lesson  materials  instead  of  a  uniform  lesson, 
and  in  part  because  they  opposed  the  particular  type 
of  lesson  which  they  thought  would  be  in  the  ascendancy 
under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Vincent. 

The  International  Lesson  System. — It  was  much 
easier  to  persuade  the  convention  to  adopt  the  plan 
than  to  persuade  the  denominations  to  accept  it.  The 
leading  denominations  were  printing  their  own  lessons 
with  appropriate  helps  and  had  a  great  deal  of  money 

71 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


invested  in  plates  which  would  become  worthless  under 
the  new  scheme.  It  is  a  great  tribute  to  the  unselfish¬ 
ness  and  zeal  of  the  churches  that  they  were  willing  to 
surrender  their  advantages,  forget  their  differences  of 
opinion,  and  embark  upon  a  common  enterprise  for  the 
spread  of  biblical  knowledge.  This  expression  of  so 
nearly  a  united  Protestantism  in  an  effort  to  win  and 
develop  the  young  in  the  Christian  faith  started  an  era 
of  unprecedented  advance  in  Sunday-school  growth.  A 
more  detailed  study  of  this  lesson  system  and  the  work 
of  the  International  Lesson  Committee  will  be  found  in 
the  following  chapter.  At  this  point  we  are  chiefly  con¬ 
cerned  with  the  creation  of  the  system  and  with  some 
of  the  results  which  followed. 

International  Sunday-School  Conventions. — From 
this  time  on  the  conventions  were  called  international 
conventions,  and  were  held  regularly,  one  every  three 
years  until  1914,  when  the  interval  was  changed  to  four 
years.  Intense  interest  and  enthusiasm  have  marked 
the  meetings.  Occasionally  the  differences  over  methods 
and  materials  have  caused  sharp  debates,  but  the  zeal 
for  a  common  cause  has  preserved  the  spirit  of  unity  in 
a  remarkable  way.  The  International  Lesson  Com¬ 
mittee  was  elected  once  every  six  years,  and  its  basis  of 
organization  remained  unchanged  until  1914.  The 
lessons  which  they  recommended  passed  through  rela¬ 
tively  only  minor  modifications  until  the  International 
Convention  of  1908  authorized  the  Lesson  Committee 
to  issue  not  only  outlines  for  uniform  lessons,  but  also 
for  graded  lessons. 

AIMS  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  PERIOD 

What  were  the  aims  and  ideals  of  the  Sunday-school 
movement  in  this  period?  Clearly  the  supreme  aim 

72 


FROM  1860-1900 


was  conversion,  the  winning  of  new  recruits  for  Jesus 
Christ.  As  a  secondary  aim.  he  was  to  be  won  through 
Bible  study,  his  faith  was  to  be  established  through 
Bible  study,  and  his  growth  in  Christian  character 
together  with  his  usefulness  as  a  Christian  in  the  church 
and  community  was  to  be  brought  about  essentially 
through  Bible  study. 

To  be  sure,  many  phrases  can  be  found  indicating  a 
feeling  after  the  idea  of  training  through  actual  service, 
and  a  recognition  of  the  importance  of  church  history, 
missionary  and  other  materials  to  prepare  the  Christian 
for  useful  service;  but  so  far  as  the  Sunday  school  itself 
is  concerned,  this  feeling  during  this  period  never  found 
expression  in  any  modification  of  lesson  material  through 
the  International  Lesson  Committee,  or  in  any  adapta¬ 
tion  of  program  authorized  by  an  international  conven¬ 
tion.  The  workers  were  willing  that  other  agencies,  such 
as  the  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  and  the  Epworth 
League,  should  supplement  the  Sunday  school,  and  did 
not  modify  their  program  so  that  the  Sunday  school 
itself  could  meet  these  other  needs. 

The  Report  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  General  Sun¬ 
day-School  Convention  held  in  London,  September  1-5 
inclusive,  1862,  is  illuminating  on  this  point.  The 
report  states  that  the  composition  of  the  convention  was 
as  follows:  “Forty-eight  were-officers  or  members  of  the 
Committee;  19,  chairmen  or  others  taking  part  in  the 
proceedings  of  the  convention;  13,  Foreign  delegates; 
193,  Country  delegates;  85,  London  delegates;  38, 
ministers;  and  37,  visitors.”2  The  United  States, 
Australia,  Canada,  France,  Italy,  and  Switzerland  sent 


2  The  Report  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  General  Sunday-School  Convention,  held 
in  London,  September  ist,  2d,  3d,  4th,  and  5th,  1862.  Fourth  Edition.  Pub¬ 
lished  by  Sunday-School  Union,  5  Old  Bailey,  London,  E.C.,  p.  V. 

73 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


delegates,  the  United  States  being  represented  by  the 
Rev.  William  M.  Blackburn,  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Bolton, 
W.  C.  Chapin,  Esq.,  the  Rev.  F.  S.  DeHass,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  McClintock,  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Vincent,  and  A.  Wood¬ 
ruff,  Esq. 

The  report  of  the  meetings  is  exceedingly  significant 
because  in  very  frank  discussions  these  leaders  were 
seeking  to  obtain  the  facts  concerning  the  exact  Sunday- 
school  situation  in  the  countries  represented  and  to 
come  to  agreement  so  far  as  possible  with  respect  to 
aims  and  methods  of  Sunday-school  promotion. 

'On  the  second  day  of  the  convention  Mr.  Charles 
Reed  read  a  paper  on  “The  Great  Object  of  Sunday- 
School  Teaching.”  In  the  course  of  his  paper  he  said, 
“For  a  religious  education  to  be  worth  the  name  it  must 
regard  the  soul:  ‘first  see  that  the  spirit  is  safe  for 
heaven,  and  then  let  us  teach  how  to  spend  the  inter¬ 
vening  time  on  earth.5  Let  the  week  attend  to  the 
things  of  the  week:  once  regard  the  great  aim  to  be 
conversion,  and  the  Sabbath  will  be  redeemed  for  holy 
duties  and  spiritual  husbandry.”3  Later  in  the  same 
paper  he  says,  “Brethren,  if  these  things  be  so,  then 
let  us  lay  our  account  to  this — We  are  bound  to  seek 
conversion  as  our  great  aim ;  bound  by  every  obligation 
to  our  God,  to  the  parent,  to  the  child,  to  our  own 
conscience.”4 

“After  the  discussion  of  the  subject  by  others,  Mr. 
Reed  in  closing  the  conversation,  said  if  there  had  not 
been  much  discussion,  it  was  because  there  was  almost 
perfect  unanimity.  The  subject  did  not  need  discus¬ 
sion,  for  happily  no  issue  had  been  raised.  No  one  had 
attacked  the  principle  which  he  had  laid  down;  it  was 


3  Report,  p.  52. 

4  Report,  p.  55- 


74 


FROM  1860-1900 


accepted  as  settled.  .  .  .  ‘What  are  the  chief  needs  in 
the  Sunday-school  in  the  present  day?’  He  would  say, 
‘ Spiritual-mindedness  in  our  teachers,  and  separate 
accommodation  for  our  senior  scholars.’  ”5 

It  seems  clear  to  the  writer  that,  while  the  forward- 
looking  Sunday-school  leaders  knew  that  conversion  was 
only  the  beginning  of  the  process  of  developing  a  holy 
life,  they  were  so  overwhelmed  by  a  sense  of  the  need 
of  conversion  on  the  part  of  multitudes  that  they  were 
willing  to  leave  the  development  of  the  converts  to 
other  agencies  such  as  pastors’  or  confirmation  classes. 
Many  phrases  to  the  contrary  may  be  quoted,  but  a 
careful  reading  of  the  discussions  will  show  much  more 
attention  to  the  subject  of  how  to  win  converts  than 
to  the  subject  of  training  the  convert  after  he  has  been 
won  so  that  he  can  go  out  and  help  others.  That  many 
teachers  were  indifferent  to  the  aim,  and  poorly  qualified 
to  achieve  it,  is  recognized,  also  that  the  leaders  had  no 
fixed  type  of  emotional  or  intellectual  experience  in 
mind  as  a  goal,  but  the  principal  aim — conversion — was 
an  all-absorbing  one. 

The  selection  of  curriculum  material  must  be  con¬ 
sidered  in  the  light  of  this  purpose.  If  conversion  was 
the  supreme  task,  then  the  Bible  alone  supplied  sufficient 
study  material.  But  if  the  development  of  the  young 
Christian  for  his  Christian  duties  had  also  been  an  aim, 
then  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  church  history,  funda¬ 
mental  doctrines,  missionary  achievements,  and  other 
materials  would  have  been  recognized  as  necessary. 
They  were  at  this  time  recognized  as  useful  but  not  as 
proper  materials  for  Sunday  study  and  hence  left  to 
other  agencies.  It  was  not  until  near  the  end  of  this 


6  Report,  p.  66. 


75 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


period  that  any  considerable  demand  for  extra-biblical 
material  in  the  Sunday-school  curriculum  arose. 

Classification  of  scholars. — Let  us  try  to  picture 
typical  Sunday  schools.  The  convention  in  London 
also  took  up  for  discussion  the  question  of  Sunday- 
school  classification,  following  a  paper  on  this  subject  by 
Mr.  R.  W.  Collins.  Mr.  Collins  said,  “Separate  the 
scholars  into  four  parts,  and  call  these  divisions,  not 
‘classes’ — the  Infant,  Elementary,  Scripture,  and  Senior 
Divisions.”6  He  further  recommended: 

1.  Infant  Division  to  be  strictly  infants.  Sixty  or  more 
can  be  efficiently  managed  by  one  teacher  and  an  as¬ 
sistant. 

2.  The  Elementary  Division  will  comprise  those  who 
can  read  but  not  fluently.  Eight  to  twelve  may  be  in 
a  class. 

3.  The  Scripture  Division  will  include  all  those  scholars 
who  can  read  the  Scriptures.  Eight  to  twelve  may  be 
in  classes. 

4.  The  Senior  Division  will  comprehend  those  scholars 
who  are  above  the  age  of  fourteen.  Fifteen  to  twenty 
may  be  in  the  classes. 

Dr.  Vincent  said  in  the  discussion  that  in  an  ideal 
school  other  departments  should  be  added.  He  said 
in  part: 

“Here  are  the  infant  scholars,  and  for  these  he  has 
the  Infant  Division;  here  are  the  elementary  scholars, 
and  for  these  he  has  a  division;  so  with  the  Scripture 
and  Senior  Divisions.  But  each  school  should  provide 
in  some  way  for  its  own  supply  of  teachers.  Where  is 
the  Normal  or  Training  Division?  To  teach  the  Bible 
effectually  there  should  be  a  careful  study  of  archaeology 
and  geography,  in  a  systematic  way,  but  this  cannot  be 
done  on  the  Sabbath  day  without  interfering  with  the 

« Report  of  General  Sunday-School  Convention,  1862,  p.  74. 

76 


FROM  1860-1900 


religious  and  practical  part  of  teaching.  Some  schools 
in  America  have  an  archaeological  division  and  week¬ 
day  meetings.  I  have  one  in  my  school  and  call  it  the 
‘Palestine  Class.5  Then  we  want  to  bring  the  children 
and  youth  to  the  Saviour  and  bring  them  under  direct 
pastoral  influence.  There  ought  in  every  church  to  be 
an  ‘Inquirers’  Division/  a  ‘probationers’  or  a  ‘converts’ 
class.  This  is  the  better  and  more  perfect  division: — 
Infant,  Elementary,  Scripture,  Senior,  Normal,  Archaeo¬ 
logical,  and  Inquirers’  Division.”7 

Dr.  Vincent  was  successful  in  introducing  normal 
divisions  in  many  schools,  but  the  Archaeological  and 
Inquirers’  divisions  never  figured  very  vitally  as  Sunday- 
school  organizations.  The  study  of  archaeology  formed 
a  very  interesting  feature  of  the  work  of  the  normal 
classes,  but  the  “Palestine  Clubs”  as  such  did  not  hold 
their  popularity  long.  The  Inquirers’  Division  was 
more  commonly  conducted  as  an  independent  organiza¬ 
tion  directed  by  the  pastor.  Pardee,  writing  in  1869, 
offers  and  answers  the  following  question:  “Would  you 
recommend  the  grading  of  Sabbath  schools?  We  like 
the  word  ‘adaptation,’  for  there  must  be  that  in  all  good 
teaching;  there  must  also  be  acknowledgment  and 
thorough  Bible  instruction.  But  we  fear  that  an  at¬ 
tempt  to  grade  Sunday  schools  would  stiffen  and  injure 
them,  for  we  have  but  one  hour  in  a  week,  while  the 
public  schools  have  six  hours  per  day  and  five  days  in 
a  week,  with  a  dozen  grades  of  textbooks  and  paid 
diciplined  teachers.  Besides,  we  have  never  found  a 
successful  Sabbath  school  with  more  than  three  regular 
grades,  viz:  the  infants  class,  the  intermediate  classes, 
and  the  young  men  and  women  classes.”8 

t  Report  of  General  Sunday-School  Convention,  1862,  p.  84. 

8  Pardee — The  Sabbath-School  Index,  pp.  241,  242. 

77 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Later  titles  of  divisions. — Toward  the  end  of  this 
period  the  titles  of  the  divisions  underwent  the  follow¬ 
ing  changes: 

Infant — Kindergarten  and  Beginners. 

Elementary — Primary. 

Scripture — Juniors. 

Senior — Everything  above  Junior. 

The  title  “infants’  class”  still  persists  in  backward 
schools,  and  until  very  recently  in  many  places  com¬ 
prehended  all  children  under  twelve  or  fourteen,  while 
the  word  “senior”  indicated  everyone  older.  By  1890 
many  good  schools  recognized  the  following  classifica¬ 
tion  : 

Beginners  or  Kindergarten — Up  to  five  inclusive. 

Primary — Six  to  eight  (often  ten). 

Junior — Nine  to  twelve. 

Intermediate — Thirteen  to  sixteen  or  eighteen. 

Large  schools  would  have  several  classes  and  small 
schools  would  have  only  one  class  to  a  division. 

Architecture. — The  aims  of  the  Sunday  schools  of 
this  period  were  expressed  also  in  the  architecture  of 
their  rooms  or  buildings.  Even  down  to  the  present 
many  churches  have  no  housing  accommodations 
especially  planned  for  the  Sunday  school.  But  in  1867 
a  building  was  designed  which  seemed  to  be  ideal.  It 
was  designed  by  Lewis  Miller,  inventor  of  the  Buck¬ 
eye  Mower  and  Reaper,  in  consultation  with  John  H. 
Vincent,  and  the  plan  of  this  Sunday-school  building  in 
Akron  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  Akron  plan. 
Until  recent  years  the  plan  was  accepted  as  a  standard 
by  leading  Sunday-school  workers,  and  even  to  this  day, 
although  now  disapproved  by  most  Sunday-school 
leaders,  it  is  still  the  pattern  to  some  extent  of  many 
buildings  designed  for  Sunday-school  use. 

78 


FROM  1860-1900 


It  provided  for  the  separate  divisions  and  for  class¬ 
rooms  within  the  division  sections,  and  also  for  a  com¬ 
mon  assembly  of  old  and  young  when  the  partitions 
were  pushed  out  of  the  way.  This  building  seemed  to 
be  admirably  suited  to  the  two  outstanding  aims  of  the 
school  of  this  period — conversion  and  a  particular  type 
of  Bible  study.  The  common  assembly,  with  its  lively 
music  and  the  stirring  address  of  a  superintendent, 
pastor,  or  outside  speaker,  might  be  effective  in  per¬ 
suading  pupils  to  begin  the  Christian  life.  It  also 
afforded  a  good  opportunity  for  Bible  drills.  But  it 
could  not  be  used  to  teach  little  children  how  to  pray, 
or  how  to  understand  the  meaning  of  hymns.  It  clearly 
was  not  suitable  for  training  them  in  worship.  The 
class  stalls,  or  “cubby  holes,”  were  a  real  help  to 
teachers  in  that  they  gave  to  the  classes  a  certain  amount 
of  privacy.  But  the  general  plan  erred  because  it  cut 
up'  into  little  rooms  much  space  which  might  more 
properly  have  been  used  for  departmental  worship. 

Teaching  methods. — One  of  the  interesting  prob¬ 
lems  for  a  student  of  history  is  to  note  how  certain 
movements  and  methods  prove  to  meet  a  real  need  in 
one  age  and  in  a  succeeding  generation  become  a  positive 
handicap.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  Sunday-school 
movement  from  i860  to  1890  was  a  vitally  successful 
teaching  movement.  It  had  many  imperfections,  but 
it  was  promoted  throughout  the  land  by  men  and 
women  burning  with  zeal  to  win.  the  young  for  Christ 
and  to  see  the  new  recruits  taken  into  the  church. 
These  faithful  workers  also  had  a  passion  for  biblical 
knowledge.  The  battles  between  science  and  religion, 
or,  to  be  more  accurate,  between  many  of  the  adherents 
of  science  and  of  the  adherents  of  Christianity  were 
raging.  Battles  were  also  fiercely  fought  between  the 

79 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


men  who  had  adopted  the  scientific  critical  methods  of 
Bible  study  and  the  conservative  champions  of  the  Bible 
stories  as  they  had  always  known  them. 

Certainly,  through  at  least  two  thirds  of  the  period 
it  was  a  popular  mass  movement  in  Bible  study.  The 
questions  suggested  in  the  lesson  helps  led  to  interesting 
discussions  if  the  teachers  were  at  all  competent,  and 
literally  thousands  of  teachers  were  studying  diligently 
to  make  themselves  competent.  Great  weekly  teachers’ 
meetings  were  not  uncommon,  some  of  them  having 
hundreds,  even  as  high  as  eighteen  hundred  in  regular 
attendance.9 

But  as  an  educational  movement  it  deteriorated  in 
the  “nineties.”  Thousands  continued  to  study  and 
individual  schools  improved,  but  the  passion  for  Bible 
study  and  for  securing  conversions  waned.  Although 
the  lesson  quarterlies  had  never  been  better  they  did 
not  lead  to  popular  Bible  study.  Teachers  prepared  their 
lessons  hastily,  if  at  all,  and  the  asking  of  questions  from 
the  printed  page  of  the  quarterly  became  in  many  places 
as  dead  a  performance  as  the  asking  of  questions  out  of 
a  catechism  had  come  to  be  in  1830. 

Influence  of  Pestalozzi,  Froebel,  and  Herbart 
through  the  public  schools. — Besides,  teaching  meth¬ 
ods  and  materials  in  the  public- school  world  were 
improving  rapidly.  The  methods  and  theories  of 
Pestalozzi,  Froebel,  and  Herbart  had  been  imported 
from  overseas  and  were  revolutionizing  public-school 
policies.  Formal  instruction  for  its  disciplinary  value 
was  giving  place  to  an  effort  to  teach  only  “knowledge 
that  was  worth  while.”  The  public  school  pupil  was 
beginning  to  study  reading,  arithmetic,  and  geography 

9  Tompkins  Avenue  Congregational  Church,  Brooklyn,  under  the  leadership 
of  Robert  Meredith. 


80 


FROM  1860-1900 


in  terms  of  his  own  immediate  interests  and  problems. 
The  new  science  of  psychology  referred  to  in  the  early 
part  of  this  period  in  a  vague  way  as  “mental  science” 
was  beginning  to  furnish  accurate  data  as  to  just  what 
materials  and  methods  were  useful  for  developing  the 
mind  in  the  different  periods  of  its  growth. 

The  public-school  world  made  no  great  haste  to 
accept  the  newer  educational  methods,  but  by  1890 
some  of  these  principles  had  been  accepted  long  enough 
to  prove  their  merit.  This  movement  had  its  effect 
upon  popular  approval  of  the  Sunday  school  and  upon 
the  younger  leaders  of  the  Sunday  school.  The  school 
of  religion  suffered  as  never  before  in  comparison  with 
public-school  efficiency. 

Pioneers  in  reform. — The  “infant-class”  workers  of 
Newark  and  New  York  city  as  far  back  as  1871  began 
to  promote  the  use  of  special  lessons  for  their  classes, 
and  in  1884  the  National  Primary  Union  was  formed, 
changing  its  name  in  1887  to  the  International  Primary 
Union  of  the  United  States  and  British  Provinces. 
They  early  tried  to  secure  a  modification  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Uniform  Lessons  in  their  favor.  About  1890 
the  Rev.  Erastus  Blakeslee,  backed  by  William  Rainey 
Harper,  then  of  Yale  University,  and  others  began  to 
publish  graded  lesson  materials.  These  materials  were 
all  biblical,  but  the  preparation  of  them,  assisted  by 
judicious  advertising,  had  great  effect  upon  the  agita¬ 
tion  for  an  improved  lesson  system. 

Beginnings  of  new  experimentation. — Great  inter¬ 
est  in  the  Sunday  school  remained  despite  opposition  to 
its  methods  and  the  form  of  its  lesson  materials.  Never¬ 
theless,  from  1890  to  1910  the  Sunday-school  movement 
found  itself  in  an  era  of  conflict,  of  experimentation,  of 
arrested  growth,  in  contrast  with  the  epochs  immediately 

81 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


preceding  and  immediately  following.  In  order  to 
understand  the  era  of  conflict  and  experimentation  we 
must  go  back  and  review  the  developments  in  curri¬ 
cula  and  teacher  training  of  the  preceding  one  hundred 
years,  and  especially  of  the  preceding  half  a  century. 

SUMMARY 

We  have  noted  in  this  chapter  an  era  of  great  progress. 
This  progress  was  ushered  in  by  an  awakening  to  re¬ 
ligious  educational  needs  produced  by  the  Civil  War, 
and  was  greatly  stimulated  by  a  nation-wide  interest  in 
teacher  training,  both  secular  and  religious.  We  have 
noted  the  growing  popularity  of  great  international 
conventions  and  the  epochal  achievement  of  promoting 
one  lesson  system  for  the  greater  part  of  the  Protestant 
world  through  the  newly  formed  International  Lesson 
Committee.  We  have  studied  briefly  the  aims  of  the 
period  and  how  they  found  expression  in  the  curriculum, 
and  in  the  provisions  for  housing  the  school.  The 
success  of  the  movement  until  the  late  eighties  we  have 
seen  to  be  wonderful.  Then  we  found  ourselves 
entering  not  upon  a  period  of  decline  but  of  arrested 
development  because  of  demands  for  changes  in  methods 
and  materials. 

The  galaxy  of  great  men  like  Jacobs,  Vincent,  Eggle¬ 
ston,  Trumbull,  Schauffler,  Hurlbut,  and  a  host  of 
others  who  helped  to  build  a  great  system  of  religious 
instruction  have  left  the  world  eternally  in  their  debt. 
The  next  generation  modified  their  methods,  but  they 
built  upon  a  foundation  well  laid  by  able,  faithful  men. 
These  successors  had  little  to  undo  but  much  unfinished 
work  to  accomplish.  They  were  no  more  radical  or 
progressive  for  their  day  than  the  leaders  who  pioneered 
for  a  world- wide  study  of  a  common  Bible  passage  on 

82 


FROM  1860-1900 


a  given  Sunday  were  in  their  day.  To  trace  the  work 
of  the  next  generation  of  builders  will  be  the  principal 
task  of  the  remaining  chapters. 

Success  and  failure. — The  student  of  history  who 
is  trying  to  estimate  the  successes  and  failures  of  this 
period  will  undoubtedly  credit  these  leaders  with  the 
creation  of  a  system  of  religious  education  which 
saved  the  nation  to  a  large  extent  from  the  perils  of 
atheism  and  materialism.  As  Dr.  Vincent  frequently 
said,  “The  Sunday  school  is  strong  at  the  heart  and 
weak  at  the  head.”  No  one  recognized  better  than  he 
the  necessity  for  better  teaching,  and  no  one  ever  worked 
harder  to  secure  such.  At  the  same  time,  if  the  estima¬ 
tion  of  E.  Payson  Porter10  in  1887  of  one  million  teachers 
and  eight  million  scholars  for  the  United  States  alone 
is  correct,  and  if  the  Sunday  school  of  this  era  was 
effective  at  the  heart,  in  motivation — as  we  believe  it 
was — the  student  may  form  some  reasonable  estimate 
of  the  success  of  this  imperfect  institution. 

A  commission  was  sent  over  by  the  French  govern¬ 
ment  in  1876  and  Dr.  Trumbull  tells  us  that  it  was 
evident  in  the  voluminous  report  prepared  by  Mon¬ 
sieur  F.  Buisson,  the  president  of  the  commission, 
that  “no  department  of  primary  education  had  im¬ 
pressed  that  careful  observer  as  more  important  and 
more  noteworthy  than  that  of  the  Sunday  school.”* 11 
“The  Sunday  school,”  he  said,  “is  not  an  accessory 
agency  in  the  normal  economy  of  American  education; 
it  does  not  add  a  superfluity;  it  is  an  absolute  neces¬ 
sity  for  the  complete  instruction  of  the  child.  Its  aim 
is  to  fill  by  itself  the  complex  mission  which  elsewhere 

10  Trumbull — Yale  Lectures  o?i  the  Sunday  School,  p.  133.  Copyrighted  by  Estate 
of  Henry  Clay  Trumbull.  Publishing  rights  owned  by  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons. 
Used  by  permission. 

11  Ibid.,  p.  132. 


83 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


is  in  a  large  measure  assigned  to  the  family,  the  school, 
and  the  church.”12 

If  one  were  asked  to  name  the  one  outstanding 
failure  of  these  great  leaders,  he  would  say  that  they, 
like  other  educators,  did  not  sufficiently  understand 
child  nature  nor  adequately  appreciate  the  unity  of  the 
educational  process.  Perhaps  they  were  as  far  along  as 
the  rank  and  file  of  leaders  in  general  education  of  their 
day,  but  it  is  difficult  to  excuse  an  analysis  of  child  life 
and  educational  processes  which  assigns  to  one  agency 
“enlistment,”  or  the  establishing  of  right  motives,  to 
another  the  imparting  of  information,  and  to  a  third 
“drill,”  as  does  the  great  scholar,  Dr.  Trumbull.  “The 
threefold  work  of  winning,  improving,  and  of  exercising — * 
of  enlistment,  of  instruction,  and  of  drill — must  proceed 
wherever  the  training  process  is  made  practical,  to  the 
completion  of  the  religious  life  of  young  disciples  of 
Christ  to-day.  The  first  factor  in  this  work  we  may  say 
is  represented  by  the  pulpit;  the  second,  by  the  Sunday 
school;  the  third,  by  the  auxiliary  agencies  of  guilds, 
and  boards,  and  associations,  and  societies,  and  orders, 
and  leagues,  and  circles  for  the  prosecution  of  particular 
lines  of  effort,  or  for  the  cultivation  of  particular  virtues, 
which  for  lack  of  a  better  name  may  be  counted  as  the 
‘gymnasia’  of  the  church  (using  that  term  in  its  classical 
signification)  in  which  the  young  membership  is  to  have 
practice  in  moral  and  spiritual  athletics.”13 

Of  course  the  above  statement  is  not  offered  by 
Dr.  Trumbull  as  a  clean-cut  analysis,  but  it  is  typical  of 
the  prevailing  opinion  of  the  time  which  encouraged 
the  organization  of  the  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor, 

12  Trumbull — Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday  School,  p.  132.  Copyrighted  by  Estate 
of  Henry  Clay  Trumbull.  Publishing  rights  owned  by  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons. 
Used  by  permission. 

13  Ibid.,  p.  283. 


84 


FROM  1860-1900 


1881,  to  take  care  of  the  expressional  aspects  of  educa¬ 
tion  while  the  Sunday  school  confined  itself  to  the 
imparting  of  biblical  information  and  the  efforts  to 
secure  “conversions”  (establishing  of  right  motives). 
The  Sunday-school  leaders  did  undertake  two  of  the 
aspects  of  education;  but  if  they  had  accepted  respon¬ 
sibility  for  the  third,  broadening  their  curriculum 
materials  so  as  to  make  their  training  for  Christian 
living  more  effective,  they  would  have  set  forward  the 
cause  of  Christian  education  by  at  least  half  a  century. 

Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  To  what  extent  was  the  new  interest  in  religious 

education  noted  at  the  beginning  of  the  period 
due  to  the  Civil  War? 

2.  To  what  extent  was  the  awakening  due  to  the 

teacher-training  movement  that  was  in  progress 
when  the  war  began? 

3.  Do  you  believe  this  era  of  advance  would  have 

come  approximately  when  it  did  if  there  had  been 
no  such  war? 

4.  Discuss  the  merits  and  defects  of  the  International 

Uniform  Lesson  system  from  the  standpoint  of 
conditions  in  1872.  Was  it  the  best  possible 
system  for  that  day? 

5.  How  long  did  the  passion  for  Bible  study  noted 

in  this  period  last?  What  were  the  permanent 
effects  of  this  enthusiastic  movement? 

6.  What  were  the  principal  achievements  of  Sunday- 

school  leaders  from  1870  to  1890?  What  failures, 
if  any,  should  be  noted? 

7.  So  far  as  you  can  estimate  it,  what  were  the  pre¬ 

vailing  types  of  piety  or  Christian  experience 
produced  by  the  Sunday-school  system  of  this 

85 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


period?  To  what  extent  were  these  types 
adequate  for  their  day?  To  what  extent  would 
they  be  adequate  for  the  present  day? 

8.  Was  the  organization  of  young  people’s  societies  as 

organizations  independent  of  the  Sunday  school 
a  detriment  or  a  help  to  the  cause  of  religious 
education? 

9.  What  was  the  net  contribution  of  this  period  to 

the  cause  of  religious  education? 

Brief  bibliography  of  selected  references: 

Trumbull — Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday  School.  Charles 
Scribner’s  Sons,  New  York,  1904.  (Copyright,  1888.) 

Report  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  General  Sunday- 
School  Convention ,  held  in  London  September  1-5,  1862. 
Published  by  Sunday-School  Union,  5  Old  Bailey, 
London. 

Vincent — The  Modern  Sunday  School.  Phillips  and 
Hunt,  New  York,  1887. 

Vincent — The  Church  School ,  and  Normal  Guide. 
Hunt  and  Eaton,  New  York,  1889. 

Pardee — The  Sabbath-School  Index.  J.  C.  Garrigues 
&  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1869. 

Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System.  The  Sun¬ 
day-School  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company, 
New  York,  1911. 

Files  of  the  Denominational  Sunday-school  periodicals 
for  this  period. 

International  Sunday-School  Association — Reports  of 
Conventions. 


86 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SUNDAY-SCPIOOL 

CURRICULA 

The  curriculum  is  the  lesson  material  through  which 
an  educational  institution  seeks  to  accomplish  its  aims. 
In  any  period  the  curriculum  is  apt  to  be  found  in  a 
fluid  state,  as  it  should  be.  >  Experiments  are  always 
being  conducted  by  any  efficient  educational  system. 
The  curriculum  materials  are  first  tested  while  in  tem¬ 
porary  mold  and  then  gradually  are  cast  into  permanent 
textbook  form.  But  by  the  time  the  materials  have 
been  put  into  book  form  some  of  the  most  progressive 
educators  will  have  found  success  with  new  methods 
and  materials,  so  that  the  textbooks  will  be  out  of  date 
for  the  leaders  by  the  time  that  they  are  in  print. 

THE  CURRICULUM  ALWAYS  CHANGING 

The  curriculum  simply  will  not  “stay  put.”  For  this 
reason  some  teachers  object  to  the  organization  of 
curriculum  materials  into  any  form  which  may  appear 
to  be  fixed  and  inelastic  for  even  a  brief  period.  They 
prefer  to  have  the  teachers  develop  their  own  curriculum 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  changing  social  environment 
in  which  the  pupil  lives.  On  the  other  hand,  many 
who  believe  thoroughly  in  the  necessity  of  keeping  the 
curriculum  in  a  fluid  state  feel  that  only  a  genius  can 
hope  to  organize  his  own  material  to  meet  the  needs  of 
his  pupils,  and  that  for  the  average  teacher  the  best 
teaching  experience  of  others  should  be  put  into  con- 

87 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


venient  form  for  his  use.  The  latter  are  still  the  dom¬ 
inant  group  in  education,  but  it  is  doubtful  how  long 
they  may  retain  their  supremacy.  All  realize  that  a 
textbook  in  history  or  in  science  is  apt  to  be  out  of 
date  as  soon  as  it  is  written,  but  they  also  recognize 
that  it  may  serve  to  bring  others  up  to  the  line  while 
the  scouting  parties  in  educational  fields  go  further 
ahead. 

The  hardest  problem  for  the  teacher  is  to  find  the 
material  which  presents  the  truth  as  he  wishes  to  have 
it  presented  in  the  light  of  his  most  recent  investiga¬ 
tions.  In  practice  he  will  take  the  best  books  he  can 
find  and  supplement  these  with  the  latest  material  that 
he  has  discovered.  With  these  facts  of  general  expe¬ 
rience  in  mind  we  will  expect  to  find  the  curriculum  of 
every  period  changing.  When  it  ceases  to  change  we 
can  be  sure  of  stagnation  and  not  progress. 

Generally  speaking,  we  have  divided  this  history  into 
four  periods:  The  colonial  period,  the  years  1784-1860; 
the  years  1860-1900;  and  from  1900  to  the  present. 

Curriculum  of  the  colonial  period. — In  the  colonial 
period  the  principal  curriculum  material  was  biblical  in 
one  form  or  another.  Whether  the  verses  and  prayers 
were  in  the  Hornbook ,  the  Primer ,  the  Speller ,  the 
Catechism ,  or  the  Bible  itself,  the  materials  were  essen¬ 
tially  religious.  It  is  clear  that  they  were  selected  to 
influence  conduct  in  this  life,  and  to  prepare  one  for 
death.  They  were  a  collection  of  the  materials  con¬ 
sidered  most  essential  to  fit  the  pupil  for  his  duties  as  a 
Christian  citizen.  We  have  already  described  the  con¬ 
tents  of  the  Hornbook  and  of  the  New  England  Primer } 
We  have  also  noted  the  gradual  secularization  of  the 
common-school  curriculum  beginning  with  the  intro- 


1  See  Chapter  II. 


88 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


duction  of  Dillworth’s  A  New  Guide  to  the  English 
Tongue ,  and  Webster’s  American  Spelling  Book.  From 
this  time  on  more  and  more  of  secular  material  was 
introduced  into  the  curriculum  of  the  common  schools, 
gradually  crowding  out  the  biblical,  until  as  early  as  the 
days  of  Horace  Mann  it  was  a  question  whether  the 
Bible  should  even  be  read  devotionally  in  the  public 
schools.  Horace  Mann  himself  favored  reading  the 
Bible  without  comment,  but  he  did  not  favor  teaching 
it. 

CHAOTIC  STATE  OE  CURRICULUM — 1784-1860 

The  condition  of  the  curriculum  from  1784  to  i860 
may  well  be  called  chaotic.  Sampey  speaks  of  the  last 
thirty  years  of  this  period  as  a  period  when  the  “so- 
called  ‘Babel  Series’  held  sway.”2  But  there  was  con¬ 
siderable  of  “Babel”  during  the  earlier  part  of  the 
period  as  well.  So  long  as  the  Primer  and  the  Catechism 
were  dominant  the  lesson  material  was  definite.  But 
in  breaking  away  from  these  formal  materials  the 
Sunday-school  world  fell  into  much  confusion.  For  a 
time  the  practice  seems  to  have  been  to  permit  the 
pupil  to  learn  as  many  Bible  verses  as  he  could  memorize 
and  to  select  them  from  any  part  of  the  Bible  whatso¬ 
ever.  Then  the  definite  effort  was  made  to  confine  the 
lesson  to  a  limited  portion  of  the  Scriptures,  but  in  this 
case  the  lessons  were  selected  at  random  and  the  chief 
task  of  the  teacher  was  to  hear  the  pupils  recite  verses 
from  memory. 

If  the  pupils  of  a  Sunday  school  needed  it,  a  speller 
might  be  used  as  curriculum  material.  The  catechism 
seems  to  have  made  a  strong  bid  for  popularity,  for  the 

2  Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System,  p.  37.  The  Sunday-School  Board 
of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  and  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  publishers. 
Used  by  permission. 


89 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


library  of  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  contains 
many  catechisms,  some  very  ingenious,  published  be¬ 
tween  1800  and  1830.  In  the  early  thirties  there  was  a 
revival  in  New  England  of  enthusiasm  for  the  cate¬ 
chism,  but  a  revival  very  vigorously  opposed  by  some. 
A  very  interesting  book  on  the  subject  published  by 
J.  Leavitt,  of  New  York,  and  Crocker  and  Brewster, 
Boston,  1831,  contains  a  very  instructive  protest  against 
the  prevailing  method  of  simply  memorizing  a  cate¬ 
chism.  The  title  page  gives  the  following: 

The 

End  and  Essence 
of 

Sabbath  School  Teaching 
and 

Family  Religious  Instruction 
in  Which 

The  Present  Defects  in  Communicating 
Religious  Knowledge  to  the  Young 

Are  Investigated 
and 

The  Lesson  System 
of 

Teaching  the  Scriptures 
is 

Fully  Developed. 


“I  had  rather  speak  five  words  with  my  understanding  that 
by  my  voice  I  might  teach  others  also,  than  ten  thousand  words  in 
an  unknown  tongue.” — 1  Cor.  XIV:  19. 

Significant  progress. — However,  the  most  significant 
and  most  orderly  curriculum  development  seems  to 
have  been  as  follows:  In  1824,  the  Sunday-School 
Teachers'  Magazine ,  of  London,  suggested  that  it  would 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


be  a  wiser  practice  to  assign  certain  portions  of  Scripture 
and  Catechism,  instead  of  letting  the  children  select  and 
commit  what  they  pleased.  In  October  of  the  same  year 
“The  New  York  Association  of  Sunday-School  Teachers” 
passed  a  resolution  declaring  that  “all  lessons  in  Sabbath 
Schools  should  be  selected,”  and  on  January  i,  1825, 
they  commenced  a  series  of  selected  lessons  for  the 
four  following  months. 

The  American  Sunday-School  Union  at  once  espoused 
the  new  idea,  and  in  March,  1825,  published  a  card 
containing  a  list  of  forty-nine  lessons  for  one  year, 
according  to  Dr.  Sampey,  divided  into  four  parts,  so  as 
to  leave  room  for  a  quarterly  examination  of  the  scholars. 
The  lessons  were  used  in  many  schools  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  other  cities  in  1825.  The  experiment 
was  so  successful  that,  in  response  to  many  requests, 
the  trial  list  was  carefully  revised  and  issued  for  general 
use  for  one  year,  from  May,  1826,  to  May,  1827. ”3 

The  Rev.  Albert  Judson  was  employed  by  the  New 
York  Sunday-School  Union  to  prepare  for  teachers  a 
series  of  questions  of  three  grades  on  the  lessons,  and 
the  demand  for  these  questions  issued  in  pamphlet 
form  greatly  exceeded  the  supply.  Dr.  Rice  says  of 
these  questions:  “Judson’s  questions  were  of  three 
grades.  The  first  grade  consisted  of  such  plain  and 
easy  questions  as  might  be  answered  by  citing  some 
clause  of  the  Bible  text.  The  second  grade  comprised 
less  simple  questions,  calling  for  more  thought  and 
leading  the  teacher  to  explain,  and  the  scholar  to  know 
the  meaning  of  the  text.  The  third  grade  of  questions 
were  those  which  arose  from  the  subject  of  study  and 
from  the  passage  of  Scripture  where  the  same  or  a  like 


*  Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System,  p.  23. 

91 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


topic  was  taught.  This  called  for  a  more  general  study 
of  Scripture  to  discover  how  the  same  truth  was  pre¬ 
sented  by  different  sacred  writers.”4 

This  improvement  in  lesson  materials  led  to  a  revival 
of  interest  in  Bible  study  and  in  Sunday-school  work 
generally.  Rival  systems  were  merged  into  one  by  the 
Sunday-School  Union,  which  issued  “Union  Questions”  in 
several  volumes.  Dr.  Sampey  says  of  this  development, 
“Had  there  been  a  strong  permanent  Lesson  Committee, 
representative  of  the  leading  evangelical  denominations, 
it  would  seem  that  the  great  movement  of  1872  might 
have  been  anticipated  by  more  than  forty  years.”5 

Union  Questions ,  Volume  I,  “Containing  the  History 
of  the  Life  of  Jesus  Christ”  (American  Sunday-School 
Union,  1834),  says  in  the  preface:  “The  excellence  of  the 
system  of  instruction  on  which  Union  Questions  are 
founded  is  now  so  universally  admitted  that  there  is  no 
reason  for  detailing  its  advantages.  The  first  volume 
was  published  by  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  in 
1827,  and  many  large  editions  have  been  circulated.”6 
Volumes  III  and  IV  (combined)  state  the  following: 
“The  great  object  of  a  book  of  questions  is  to  excite 
the  mind  to  a  careful  and  thorough  examination  of  the 
Scriptures.”7 

It  appears  that  very  useful  lesson  helps  were  pre¬ 
pared  to  assist  the  teachers  in  the  use  of  these  lesson 
materials,  but  no  adequate  provision  was  made  for  the 
needs  of  the  pupils.  In  time  Union  Questions  grew  into 
a  series  of  nine  years’  studies;  four  years  being  given 
to  the  New  Testament  and  five  to  the  Old  Testament. 

4  Rice — Important  and  Remarkable  Epochs  in  the  History  of  Sunday  Schools, 
pp.  10-11.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union,  publishers.  Used  by  permission. 

5  Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System,  p.  27. 

6  Used  by  permission  of  the  American  Sunday-School  Union. 

7  Ibid, 


92 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


“Verse-a-Day  System  a  Handicap.” — The  move¬ 
ment  just  described  marked  progress  along  the  right 
line,  but  it  is  surprising  to  note  that  just  when  the 
better  system  was  well  under  way  a  retrograde  move¬ 
ment  came  in,  known  as  “The  Verse-a-Day  Scheme.” 
It  may  not  have  been  the  intention  of  many  for  this 
plan  to  supplant  the  “Selected  Lessons,”  but  its  growing 
popularity  for  a  time  did  set  back  the  movement  for 
better  lesson  materials  by  its  reemphasis  upon  verse 
memorization  instead  of  more  effective  teaching. 

Influence  of  denominational  unions  and  publish¬ 
ing  houses. — But  after  about  1830  the  denominational 
unions  and  publishing  houses  began  to  challenge  the 
supremacy  of  the  publications  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union  and  to  issue  their  own  lesson  schemes. 
This  led  to  what  has  been  called  “The  Babel  Series,” 
because  a  visitor  from  one  Sunday  school  to  another 
might  find  a  different  passage  of  Scripture  used  as  the 
lesson  in  each  school. 

It  is  inconceivable  that  such  confusion  in  lesson 
materials  could  have  existed  so  long  had  it  not  been  for 
the  memoriter  method  of  instruction  so  universally 
used.  If  words  are  simply  to  be  memorized,  then  the 
Bible  verses  and  catechisms  without  interpretative 
helps  will  answer  the  purpose;  but  if  the  material  is  to 
be  tested  by  the  use  which  the  pupil  can  make  of  it 
immediately,  if  the  arousing  in  the  mind  of  the  pupil  of 
a  motive  for  the  study  of  a  particular  lesson  and  an 
eager  desire  to  know  its  contents  is  considered  to  be  the 
first  step  in  good  teaching,  then,  of  course,  the  curri¬ 
culum  material  must  be  selected  and  organized  with  a 
great  deal  more  care.  The  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century  found  the  Sunday-school  world  with  a  growing 
desire  to  know  the  Bible  itself.  Catechetical  inter- 


93 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


pretations  of  the  Bible  or  substitutes  for  Bible  study 
were  becoming  unpopular,  and  various  publishing 
agencies,  denominational  and  otherwise,  were  earnestly 
seeking  to  work  out  the  best  possible  system  of  lessons 
out  of  the  Bible  itself. 

Steps  toward  graded  instruction. — While  the  cur¬ 
riculum  developments  which  we  have  just  noted  were 
far  from  satisfactory,  they  indicate  that  many  people  were 
at  work  trying  to  find  a  better  way.  They  indicate  also 
that  considerable  effort  was  being  made  to  work  out  a 
graded  system  of  lessons.  As  we  noted  in  Chapter  II, 
some  schools  had  at  an  early  date  a  fairly  well  graded 
curriculum,  selecting  the  textbooks  which  were  best 
adapted  to  the  interests  and  needs  of  each  class.  In 
1844,  in  their  address  to  the  General  Conference,  the 
bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  made  the 
following  plea  for  graded  instruction: 

“Sunday-school  instruction  may  justly  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  effectual  auxiliaries  which  we  can 
employ  for  the  prevention  of  the  destructive  influence 
of  error,  by  preoccupying  the  infant  mind  with  the 
germs  of  scriptural  truth.  Although  it  is  a  matter  of 
rejoicing  that  a  great  amount  of  good  has  been  accom¬ 
plished  by  this  service,  it  is  believed  that  much  more 
might  be  done  with  a  system  better  adapted  to  the 
capacities  of  the  subjects  of  instruction,  and  with  books 
suitable  to  different  classes  in  the  several  stages  of 
improvement.  Classification  for  many  reasons  has 
always  been  regarded  as  an  important  provision  in  a 
system  of  instruction,  especially  for  children.  We  need 
not  enlarge  on  its  utility,  but  we  are  deeply  impressed 
with  the  necessity  and  obligation  of  renewed  and  per¬ 
severing  effort  in  extending  the  operation  of  the  institu¬ 
tion  so  as  to  embrace  tens  of  thousands  of  the  children 


94 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


of  our  people  who  have  not  been  brought  under  its 
salutary  influence,  and  of  revising  and  improving  the 
system  both  with  respect  to  the  mode  of  instruction 
and  the  books  to  be  used,  so  as  to  afford  the  best  helps 
and  the  greatest  facility  in  accomplishing  its  benevolent 
designs.”8 

PREPARATION  EOR  THE  INTERNATIONAL  UNIFORM 

LESSONS 

The  student  may  find  it  difficult  to  understand  why, 
in  the  face  of  the  very  significant  experiments  in  graded 
lesson  materials  in  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen¬ 
tury,  the  Sunday-school  world  should  have  moved  away 
from  this  course  toward  a  uniform  lesson  system. 
Several  reasons  offer  a  possible  explanation  but  they  do 
not  satisfy  the  mind.  Undoubtedly,  the  desire  for 
uniformity  was  a  reaction  against  the  chaotic  state  of 
lesson  materials  in  the  so-called  “Babel  Series.”  This 
chaos  was  due  not  so  much  to  the  experiments  in  graded 
instruction  as  to  the  efforts  of  rival  publishers  and 
Sunday-school  leaders  to  find  the  best  way  and  to  win  a 
following  for  their  plans.  Nevertheless  the  result  was 
chaotic. 

In  the  second  place,  the  movement  for  uniformity 
was  aided  by  the  conception  that  the  Bible  was  the  only 
textbook  for  Sunday-school  lesson  material,  another 
outgrowth  of  the  failure  to  secure  satisfactory  Bible 
study  in  the  preceding  period  and  an  outgrowth  also  of 
the  movement  in  the  Sunday-school  world  to  emphasize 
conversion  apart  from  the  development  of  Christian 
character.  In  the  third  place,  the  writer  believes  that 

8  Journal  of  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  1840,  44, 
48 — 1844.  P-  170. 


95 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  uniform  lesson  system  was  brought  about  because  a 
few  men  such  as  B.  F.  Jacobs  and  John  H.  Vincent  had 
conducted  valuable  experiments  along  this  line,  and 
because  of  their  success  with  these  experiments  preferred 
this  plan.  Being  outstanding  leaders  with  a  successful 
experience  behind  them,  it  was  possible  for  them  to  bring 
the  organized  Sunday-school  forces  into  harmony  with 
their  plan. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  Mr.  Vincent  proposed  to  an  in¬ 
stitute  conducted  by  the  Chicago  Sunday-School  Union 
the  following  question,  “Is  it  practicable  to  introduce  a 
uniform  system  of  lessons  into  all  our  schools?’7  In 
1866,  as  editor  of  The  Sunday-School  Teacher ,  he  began 
to  prepare  such  a  course,  entitled  “Two  Years  With 
Jesus:  A  New  System  of  Sunday-School  Instruction.” 
Although  he  resigned  from  his  editorship  of  The  Sunday- 
School  Teacher ,  and  removed  to  New  York  to  take  charge 
of  the  Sunday  School  Department  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  after  only  four  months  of  service  as 
editor,  he  continued  to  prepare  the  lessons  through  the 
year  1866.  He  was  followed  as  editor  by  the  Rev.  H. 
L.  Hammond,  later  by  C.  R.  Blackall,  and  then  by  the 
Rev.  Edward  Eggleston,  who,  as  Sampey  says,  “made 
The  Teacher  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name,  The  National 
Sunday-School  T eacher. 7  79 

Dr.  Vincent  and  Dr.  Eggleston  were  soon  editing 
rival  series  of  lessons,  each  of  great  merit.  The  former 
called  his  Berean  Series,  while  that  of  the  latter  was 
known  as  the  “National  Series.”  As  early  as  1867  B.  F. 
Jacobs,  an  organizing  genius  in  the  Sunday-school 


8  Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System,  p.  61. 

For  vivid  description  of  the  steps  leading  up  to  adoption  of  the  Uniform  Lesson 
System  see  Sampey,  pp.  6off.,  who  quotes  freely  from  a  monograph  on  The  Lesson 
System,  by  the  Rev.  Simeon  Gilbert. 


96 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


world,  saw  the  advantages  of  the  scheme  of  lessons 
inaugurated  by  Dr.  Vincent  and  began  to  be  enthused 
over  the  possibility  of  having  the  Sunday-school  world 
united  in  the  study  of  one  lesson  for  the  whole  school 
and  the  same  lesson  everywhere.  To  the  genius  of  Dr. 
Vincent  and  Dr.  Eggleston  in  showing  the  possible 
values  in  such  lessons  and  to  that  of  Mr.  Jacobs  as 
promoter  and  organizer,  the  International  Lesson 
System  owes  its  birth.  Despite  the  fact  that  rival 
publishers  and  editors  wanted  their  lessons  to  be  the 
one  uniform  series,  in  1871  Mr.  Jacobs  had  persuaded 
Dr.  Eggleston  and  Dr.  Vincent  to  compromise  and  co¬ 
operate  to  the  extent  that  the  three  of  them  on  August 
9,  1871,  agreed  upon  a  uniform  series  of  lessons  for  the 
year  1872.  Two  quarters  of  these  lessons  were  taken 
from  the  National  Series,  one  quarter  from  the  Berean 
Series  and  a  fourth  quarter  was  selected  by  the  three. 
These  lessons  were  widely  adopted  in  the  United  States 
so  that  when  the  National  Sunday-School  Convention 
met  at  Indianapolis  April  16-19,  1872,  a  uniform  lesson 
system  had  been  actually  in  operation  nearly  four 
months. 

U  International  Lesson  Committee  Created. — At  the 
international  Sunday-School  Convention  held  in 
Indianapolis,  1872,  the  proposal  to  create  one  Inter¬ 
national  Lesson  Committee  was  brought  forward  by 
Mr.  B.  F.  Jacobs,  at  9  A.  m.,  on  April  18.  We  are  told 
that  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  speaking,  cries  of  “Vote, 
vote,”  from  all  over  the  house  made  it  evident  that  the 
convention  was  ready  to  support  the  proposition  almost 
unanimously.  But  the  convention  leaders  were  unwill¬ 
ing  that  so  important  a  step  should  be  taken  hastily, 
and  action  was  deferred  until  the  afternoon  session, 
when  the  motion  was  carried  by  an  overwhelming 

97 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


majority,  only  ten  voting  in  the  negative.  The  follow¬ 
ing  were  elected  as  members  of  the  first  International 
Lesson  Committee: 

Clergymen: 

Rev.  John  H.  Vincent,  D.D.,  New  York  (Methodist 
Episcopal) . 

Rev.  John  Hall,  D.D.,  New  York  (Presbyterian) . 

Rev.  Warren  Randolph,  D.D.,  Pennsylvania  (Baptist). 
Rev.  Richard  Newton,  D.D.,  Pennsylvania  (Protestant 
Episcopal). 

Rev.  A.  L.  Chapin,  D.D.,  Wisconsin  (Congregationalist). 
Laymen : 

Professor  Philip  G.  Gillett,  LL.D.,  Illinois  (Methodist 
Episcopal) . 

George  H.  Stuart,  Pennsylvania  (Presbyterian). 

B.  F.  Jacobs,  Illinois  (Baptist). 

Alexander  G.  Tyng,  Illinois  (Protestant  Episcopal). 

Henry  P.  Haven,  Connecticut  (Congregational) . 

Dr.  John  H.  Vincent  was  named  as  chairman  and  Dr. 
Warren  Randolph  as  secretary.  Both  of  these  men 
continued  in  office  for  twenty-four  years. 

It  was  far  more  difficult  to  evolve  a  working  plan 
and  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  denominational 
publishers  than  to  create  this  committee,  but  this  had 
already  been  worked  out  in  a  preliminary  way  before 
the  convention  assembled.  Hence,  without  delay,  the 
committee  proceeded  to  its  task  of  creating  lesson  out¬ 
lines  and  selecting  daily  home  Bible  readings  and  the 
Golden  Texts  which  should  embody  the  central  thought 
of  each  lesson.  As  previously  stated,  there  was  unani¬ 
mous  agreement  that  the  lessons  should  be  exclusively 
biblical.  They  also  agreed  that  the  entire  Bible  should 
be  covered  within  a  cycle  of  seven  years  (later  modified 
to  six).  But  what  should  be  the  proportion  of  Old- 
Testament  material  to  the  New,  and  what  should  be 

98 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


the  arrangement  of  material  were  problems  which  pre¬ 
sented  much  complexity. 

The  first  cycle  of  lessons. — The  first  completed 

cycle  was  as  follows: 

Uniform  Lessons10 

January-March — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 
(Genesis) . 

1873  April-September — Studies  in  the  New  Testament 

(Matthew). 

October-December — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 
(Genesis) . 

January-March — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 
(Exodus) . 

1874  April-J une — Studies  in  the  Old  T est ament  (Exodus , 

Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deuteronomy). 
July-December — Studies  in  the  New  Testament 
(Mark). 

January- June — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 
(Joshua,  Judges,  1  Samuel). 

1875  July-December — Studies  in  the  New  Testament 

(John). 

January-March — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 
(1  and  2  Samuel). 

April- June — Studies  in  the  New  Testament  (Acts). 

1876  July-September — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 

(1  and  2  Kings,  Chronicles,  Proverbs). 
October-December — Studies  in  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  (Acts). 

10  An  Aeroplane  View  of  the  International  Sunday-School  Lessons,  1873-1920  (-23) 
by  Years  and  by  Portions.  Compiled  from  the  Records  byj  Professor  Ira  M. 
Price,  Secretary  of  the  Lesson  Committee. 

99 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


January- June — Studies  about  the  Kingdom  of 

1877  Israel  (1  and  2  Kings,  Amos,  Hosea,  Jonah, 
Nahum). 

July-December — Studies  in  the  Acts. 

January-June — Studies  about  the  Kingdom  of 

1878  Judah  (2  Chronicles,  Jeremiah,  Daniel). 
July-December — Studies  in  Luke. 

January-March — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament 
(Ezra,  Nehemiah,  Psalms). 

1879  April-June — Studies  in  the  Old  Testament  (Job, 

Isaiah,  Micah,  Joel,  Ezekiel,  Zechariah, 
Malachi) . 

July-December — Studies  in  the  New  Testament 
(Epistles,  Hebrews,  Revelation). 

Between  1872  and  1914  no  radical  modification  of 
these  plans  for  the  uniform  lessons  was  made.  The 
proportion  of  Old-Testament  material  to  that  of  the 
New  Testament  was  modified,  and  the  frequency  with 
which  the  gospel  narrative  should  appear  was  never 
quite  settled.  In  other  words,  experiments  in  the  ar¬ 
rangement  of  the  material  were  going  on  throughout 
the  period,  but  the  general  plan  was  the  same. 

Significance  of  the  International  Uniform  Lesson 
System. — That  the  inauguration  of  the  International 
Uniform  Lesson  Plan  was  one  of  the  most  significant 
events  in  Sunday-school  history  every  student  will 
readily  recognize.  That  it  marked  a  great  forward  step 
in  its  day  no  one  will  refuse  to  concede.  Whether  a 
system  of  uniform  instead  of  graded  lessons  was  the  best 
possible  forward  step  will  ever  be  a  subject  for  debate. 
These  new  lessons  did  make  possible  an  era  of  great 
Sunday-school  progress.  For  about  twenty  years  they 


100 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


seem  to  have  secured  real  Bible  study,  aided  undoubtedly 
by  the  exciting  discussions  of  biblical  subjects  between 
biblical  critics,  so-called  “higher  and  lower  critics”  and 
conservative  students  who  opposed  the  “critical” 
methods. 

But  the  thoughtful  student  must  also  recognize  that 
after  these  two  decades  of  enthusiastic  support  it  failed 
very  largely  as  a  means  of  Bible  study.  The  enthusiasm 
began  to  wane,  the  teacher-training  classes  dwindled  in 
interest,  except  the  “teachers’  meetings”  for  the  study 
of  “next  Sunday’s  lesson.”  Many  a  teacher,  having  no 
enthusiasm  or  adequate  preparation  for  the  work,  used 
with  little  variation  the  dry  skeleton  questions  given  in 
the  quarterlies  and  intended  to  serve  only  as  guides. 

The  expositions  of  the  biblical  passages  were  ably 
presented  in  Sunday-school  quarterlies,  in  weekly 
periodicals,  and  often  in  the  daily  press.  Down  to  the 
present  these  have  been  written  with  great  expository 
skill.  The  lesson  helps  have  improved  in  form  and 
method,  but  the  general  plan  of  having  one  common 
passage  of  Scripture  for  all  ages  did  not  prove  in  the 
long  run  to  be  a  satisfactory  arrangement  of  biblical 
material  for  real  study  either  for  the  old  or  for  the 
young.  The  result  was  that  progressive  educational 
workers  exhibited  a  growing  restlessness  and  opposition 
to  the  plan  in  the  last  fifteen  years  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

The  Primary  Union. — This  opposition  found  con¬ 
crete  expression  in  several  movements.  Perhaps  the 
most  influential  single  factor  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
opposition  was  the  National  Primary  Union,  which  was 
formed  in  1884  and  changed  its  name  to  the  Inter¬ 
national  Primary  Union  in  1887. 

Among  other  projects  these  women  definitely  set  out 

101 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


to  secure  a  better  selection  of  lesson  material  for  the 
younger  children.  They  were  loyal  to  the  organized  Sun¬ 
day-school  movement  and  had  no  intention  of  leading 
a  revolt,  but  they  were  determined  to  secure  a  reforma¬ 
tion  of  the  plan.  After  repeated  efforts,  assisted  in 
March,  1894,  by  a  conference  between  a  group  of 
Sunday-school  specialists  and  the  Lesson  Committee, 
they  succeeded  in  securing  from  the  Lesson  Committee 
a  list  of  “Optional  Primary  Lessons  for  1896.”  The 
following  note  was  prefixed  to  the  list  of  lessons:  “This 
list  of  optional  primary  lessons  is  prepared  by  the 
International  Lesson  Committee  in  response  to  a  request 
from  many  primary  workers  who  wish  a  separate 
primary  course,  while  the  committee  still  believes  in 
the  wisdom  of  one  uniform  lesson  for  all .”n  The  course 
was  issued  in  the  fall  of  1895  by  the  Sunday  School 
Times ,  but  no  helps  were  prepared  by  denominational 
publishing  houses. 

The  New  Jersey  School  of  Methods. — A nother 

agency  which  became  an  effective  exponent  of  graded 
lessons  was  the  Summer  School  of  Primary  Methods 
founded  in  1894  by  E.  Morris  Fergusson.  Later  this 
school  became  known  as  the  New  Jersey  School  of 
Methods  for  Sunday-School  Workers,  held  at  Asbury 
Park,  New  Jersey,  and  has  been  rightly  characterized 
by  Dr.  Sampey,  when  he  says,  “It  has  been  an  experi¬ 
ment  station  for  advanced  Sunday-school  workers  at 
which  teachers  have  learned  while  they  were  imparting 
instruction  to  others.”12  Two  significant  items  will 
illustrate  the  influence  of  this  school.  In  1896  at  this 
summer  school,  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge  Barnes  proposed  to 


u  Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System ,  p.  145. 
u  Ibid.,  p.  16. 


102 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


her  students  the  following  question,  “What  do  we  wish 
our  children  to  know  about  the  Bible  before  they  are 
twelve  years  of  age?”  Together  they  worked  out  on 
the  blackboard  an  outline  which  became  the  basis  of 
the  Graded  Supplemental  Lessons  of  the  Elementary 
Department  of  the  Sunday  School,  and  which  were  ap¬ 
proved  by  the  International  Sunday-School  Convention 
of  Denver  in  1902.  The  success  of  these  supplemental 
lessons  proved  to  be  a  powerful  stimulus  to  creating  a 
demand  for  international  graded  lessons  because  teachers 
soon  began  to  ask,  “Why  can  we  not  make  this  graded 
supplemental  material  (usually  taught  for  ten  minutes) 
the  main  lesson  material?” 

It  was  also  at  the  School  of  Primary  Methods  at 
Asbury  Park,  July  5-10,  1897,  that  Miss  Margaret 
Cushman,  then  a  public-school  kindergarten  teacher, 
gave  her  lectures  on  child  study.  These  so  impressed 
the  school  that  some  of  the  leaders  asked  her  if  she  could 
work  out  a  system  of  kindergarten  lessons  embodying 
these  principles.  As  the  result  of  this  request,  on  the 
closing  day  of  the  session  Miss  Cushman  handed  to  those 
who  had  interviewed  her  the  night  before  the  outline 
of  a  two  years’  course  for  children  of  the  kindergarten 
age.  In  November,  1898,  the  Cushman  lessons  were 
printed  in  The  Messenger ,  the  paper  of  the  New  Jersey 
State  Sunday-School  Association,  and  scores  of  teachers 
began  using  them  at  the  beginning  of  the  new  year, 
1899.  These  lessons  were  later  revised,  issued  in  book 
form  by  the  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  and  proved 
to  be  very  popular  forerunners  of  the  new  movement. 

Dr.  Blakeslee’s  Lessons. — The  most  formidable 
opponent  of  the  uniform  lessons  in  the  early  stages  of 
the  opposition  was  the  Rev.  Erastus  Blakeslee.  Coming 
into  touch  in  the  late  eighties  with  William  Rainey 

103 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Harper  and  others  who  were  applying  the  newly  dis¬ 
covered  psychological  principles  of  learning  to  Bible 
study,  he  determined  to  introduce  these  methods  into 
use  of  Sunday-school  lesson  material.  Failing  to  in¬ 
fluence  favorably  the  International  Lesson  Committee, 
he  launched  his  own  series  of  graded  lessons.  His 
lessons  were  at  first  all  biblical,  and  while  not  closely 
graded,  they  were  for  four  divisions  of  pupils.  Since 
he  was  a  skillful  promoter,  he  won  many  supporters 
among  the  pastors,  editors,  and  teachers  who  preferred 
the  newer  educational  methods. 

A  GROWING  DEMAND  FOR  A  BETTER  CURRICULUM 

In  the  early  years  of  the  twentieth  century  the 
agitation  for  better  methods  in  religious  education 
gathered  strength  rapidly.  The  principles  of  Pestalozzi, 
Froebel,  and  Herbart  had  by  this  time  greatly  modified 
methods  of  public-school  education.  Education  was 
seen  to  be  the  unfolding  of  natural  capacities  within  the 
child  rather  than  the  cramming  of  something  into  his 
mind.  The  question  was  being  asked,  “What  knowledge 
is  most  useful  for  the  development  of  a  child’s  capacities 
in  any  given  period  of  his  growth?”  Curriculum 
material  which  had  heretofore  been  used  in  the  public 
schools  largely  because  of  its  “disciplinary  value”  was 
compelled  to  give  way  to  material  which  would  be  imme¬ 
diately  useful  as  well  as  disciplinary. 

The  International  Uniform  Lessons  were  not  selected 
in  harmony  with  these  newer  principles  which  the 
public  school  world  had  been  slowly  testing  and  had 
finally  adopted  because  of  their  manifestly  superior 
results.  In  some  Sunday  schools  experiments  in  har¬ 
mony  with  the  newer  educational  practices  had  been 
made  for  several  years.  The  New  Jersey  Summer 

104 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


School,  as  we  have  already  mentioned,  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  providing  a  training  center  for  those 
who  desired  to  study  Sunday-school  work  in  the  light 
of  the  latest  approved  educational  principles.  The 
University  of  Chicago  conducted  an  experimental 
“model  Sunday  school”  to  try  out  new  curriculum 
material  and  methods.  Such  influential  books  as  Prin¬ 
ciples  and  Ideals  of  the  Modern  Sunday  School  (Burton- 
Mathews)  grew  out  of  this  experiment.  The  Hartford 
School  of  Religious  Pedagogy  was  also  an  influential 
center  at  this  time  in  which  were  produced  The  Bible 
School  Curriculum  (Pease),  and  the  writings  of  Edward 
Porter  St.  John.  The  Pedagogical  Bible  School ,  by  Sam¬ 
uel  Hazlett,  lecturer  in  Hartford  Theological  Seminary 
1901-02,  was  another  significant  book. 

The  newly  discovered  laws  of  psychology  were  ap¬ 
plied  to  the  study  of  the  development  of  the  religious 
life  by  such  writers  as  Starbuck  in  his  Psychology  of 
Religion ,  and  Coe  in  The  Spiritual  Life ,  and  The  Religion 
of  a  Mature  Mind.  These  books  were  typical  of  a 
growing  literature  applying  scientific  knowledge  to  the 
field  of  religious  education.  In  1903  the  Religious 
Education  Association  was  organized  by  some  of  the 
most  influential  Christian  educators  in  America,  and  it 
at  once  undertook  the  task  of  propagating  scientific 
educational  ideals  in  the  work  of  the  church.  Through 
its  annual  conventions,  its  bimonthly  journal,  Religious 
Education ,  and  the  investigations  which  have  been 
conducted  under  its  auspices,  much  has  been  done  in 
the  way  of  turning  the  attention  of  Christian  leaders  to 
the  opportunities  and  needs  in  the  field  of  religious 
education. 

Leadership  of  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge  Barnes. — At 
this  point  we  find  coming  prominently  into  the  story  a 

105 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


little  woman,  to  whom  the  Sunday-school  world  owes  a 
greater  debt  than  it  can  ever  pay.  She  was  a  leader  so 
modest  and  quiet  in  her  manner,  yet  so  farseeing,  so 
tactful,  and  so  patient,  that  in  her  quiet  way  she  accom¬ 
plished  what  many  desired  but  no  one  else  seemed  able 
to  bring  about.  In  the  first  place,  she  believed  in  laying 
the  foundation  for  a  new  curriculum  by  careful  study 
of  the  needs  of  the  child  to  be  taught,  and  of  the  various 
problems  which  must  be  solved  partially  at  least  before 
the  right  kind  of  curriculum  material  could  be  selected. 
Hence  she  organized  a  group  to  study  these  problems 
and  to  be  ready  with  a  program  when  the  hour  of  oppor¬ 
tunity  should  come. 

She  herself  was  the  superintendent  of  the  Elementary 
Division  of  the  International  Sunday-School  Associa¬ 
tion.  In  August,  1906,  she  received  the  permission  of 
the  International  Executive  Committee  “to  cooperate 
with  the  Lesson  Committee,  the  Editorial  Association, 
and  Denominational  bodies,  as  well  as  others,  who  may 
be  planning  graded  lessons  for  the  Primary  and  Junior 
Departments.”  Having  obtained  such  permission  she 
organized  a  Graded  Lessons  Conference. 

Graded  Lessons  Conference. — The  workers  invited 
to  join  this  Conference  were  chosen  because  of  their  own 
personal  fitness  for  such  work,  their  relations  to  the 
denominations,  their  ability  to  command  the  services 
of  prominent  educators,  their  sympathy  with  the  prob¬ 
lems  involved,  their  geographical  location  with  reference 
to  the  necessary  place  of  meeting — Newark,  New  Jersey 
— and  their  willingness  to  give  their  time  and  to  pay 
their  own  expenses.  Those  invited  into  the  Conference 
at  the  beginning  were:  Miss  Josephine  L.  Baldwin, 
Miss  Rose  Scott,  Rev.  E.  Morris  Fergusson,  Rev.  M.  S. 
Littlefield,  Rev.  Pascal  Harrower,  Miss  Marianna  C. 

106 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


Brown,  Miss  F.  W.  Danielson,  Miss  E.  D.  Paxton,  Mr. 
R.  E.  Diffendorfer,  Miss  F.  H.  Darnell,  Miss  A.  B. 
Hamlin,  Miss  Margaret  Slattery,  Prof.  E.  P.  St.  John, 
Miss  Marion  Thomas,  Mrs.  M.  G.  Kennedy,  Miss  Martha 
K.  Lawson,  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge  Barnes,  Mrs.  D.  M. 
Krick,  Mrs.  Alonzo  Pettit. 

Later  when  working  on  Intermediate  and  Senior 
Lessons,  B.  S.  Winchester,  Sidney  A.  Weston,  Henry 
H.  Meyer,  Arlo  Ayres  Brown,  and  others  were  added. 

Relations  to  the  International  Lesson  Committee. 
— The  limits  of  this  book  do  not  permit  a  detailed  dis¬ 
cussion  of  the  activities  of  this  group  of  workers,  but 
the  following  letters  will  give  some  glimpses  of  how  they 
worked  and  what  were  their  relations  to  the  Inter¬ 
national  Lesson  Committee  prior  to  1908:13 

March  27,  1907. 

To  the  International  Lesson  Committee: 

Gentlemen: 

As  members  of  the  Graded  Lessons  Conierence,  now 
in  session,  we  desire  that  you  may  be  fully  advised  of 
our  plans,  our  work,  and  our  relationship  to  the  Inter¬ 
national  Sunday-School  Association;  particularly  as  your 
cooperation  is  essential  to  the  complete  fulfillment  of 
our  purpose. 

Our  desire  is  to  see  the  present  beginners’  course  of 
two  years  suitably  revised,  and  followed  with  a  three 
years’  primary  course  and  a  four  years’  junior  course;  the 
whole  constituting  nine  years  of  graded-lesson  material, 
to  the  completion  of  the  average  pupil’s  twelfth  year. 
We  desire  to  secure  from  the  International  Convention, 
as  was  done  in  the  case  of  the  beginners’  lessons,  a  vote 
of  approval  and  reference  of  the  matter  to  you,  and 

13  The  following  letters  are  quoted  from  a  paper  prepared  by  Miss  Josephine  L. 
Baldwin  on  "The  History  of  the  Graded  Lessons  Conference.” 

107 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


either  before  or  after  such  a  vote,  as  you  may  deem  wise, 
we  desire  you  to  consider  the  plan  of  lessons  which  we 
hope  ere  long  to  be  able  to  submit,  and  issue  them  with 
your  approval,  with  such  modifications  as  to  your  wisdom 
may  seem  needful. 

We  are  all  of  us  strongly  on  the  side  of  the  Interna¬ 
tional  unity ;  we  believe  in  our  Sunday  schools  working 
together;  we  recognize  the  continued  necessity  for  an 
Ungraded  International  Course;  but  we  know  that  a 
proportion  of  schools  far  too  large  to  be  longer  neglected 
demands  graded  material  for  regular  lesson  work.  We 
feel  that  it  is  vital  that  this  material  should  come  to  them 
from  the  International  Lesson  Committee,  that  it  should 
be  such  as  actual  teachers  of  the  classes,  and  grades 
concerned  can  use  under  present  circumstances,  that  it 
should  conform  to  truth  in  child  study  and  represent 
the  best  available  methods  in  teaching  practice,  and 
that  its  end  and  ideal  should  be  the  salvation  of  the 
pupil  and  the  upbuilding  of  his  character. 

In  1902  at  Denver,  as  you  recall,  the  conference  of 
elementary  grade  teachers  petitioned  the  Convention  for 
a  two-year  Beginners’  Course  to  be  issued  by  you. 
Similarly  at  Toronto  in  1905,  the  representative  elemen¬ 
tary  conference,  heartily,  and  without  one  dissenting 
vote,  expressed  its  appreciation  of  the  Beginners’  lessons 
and  asked  for  a  Primary  Course  as  soon  as  the  way 
opened  to  issue  it.  The  matter  again  came  up  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Editorial  Association  in  July,  1906,  when 
our  chairman  by  request  of  that  Association  presented 
a  paper  showing  how  not  only  a  primary  but  also  a 
junior  graded  course  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  present 
movement  for  adapted  and  effective  work  in  the  ele¬ 
mentary  division  of  the  Sunday  school. 

We  as  a  Conference,  were  called  together  by  our  Chair¬ 
man,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Barnes,  with  the  approval  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Executive  Committee,  on  the  ground  that  the 
demand  for  graded  lessons  should  be  led  and  not  merely 

108 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


yielded  to  by  the  International  Association.  The  effort 
was  made  to  secure  as  members  all  the  lesson  writers, 
State  elementary  leaders,  and  specialists  in  Sunday  school 
pedagogy  within  practicable  distance  from  Newark,  the 
chairman’s  city.  Several  who  were  earnestly  desired 
found  it  impossible  to  attend.  The  Conference  first  met 
in  October,  1906,  and  meetings  have  since  been  held  about 
once  a  month,  each  meeting  lasting  two  days.  We  have 
worked  in  two  sections,  primary  and  junior.  The  names 
of  those  who  have  taken  active  part  in  all  or  most  of  the 
sessions  are  appended  to  this  letter. 

We  have  agreed  upon  the  needs  and  interests  of  pupils 
in  the  grades  concerned,  and  the  corresponding  truths 
to  be  embodied  in  the  lessons  selected.  The  choice  and 
arrangement  of  these  lessons  is  progressing  as  rapidly  as 
is  consistent  with  a  close  following  of  our  ideal.  We  hope 
ere  long  to  complete  a  working  outline  of  at  least  the  first 
year  primary  and  the  first  year  junior,  and  then  to  in¬ 
troduce  the  lessons  thus  outlined  into  a  number  of  selected 
schools  for  experimental  use,  before  agreeing  on  our  final 
draft  of  the  course,  either  in  outline  or  detail. 

We  rejoice  to  observe  the  many  other  efforts  now  being 
made  in  this  same  direction,  and  believe  that  God’s  hand 
is  clearly  leading  us  to  better  and  higher  things.  We  be¬ 
lieve,  too,  that  when  the  right  material  has  been  found 
and  arranged  in  the  right  order  the  reasons  for  it  will 
appear.  We  respectfully  ask  your  sympathy  in  our  efforts 
and  your  cognizance  of  our  existence  and  our  purpose. 

With  great  respect,  we  are  yours, 

The  Graded  Lessons  Conference. 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Barnes,  Chairman. 

To  which  Dr.  Schauffler  sent  the  following  reply: 

New  York,  April  1,  1907. 

My  Dear  Mrs.  Barnes: 

Yours  of  the  30th  together  with  communication  to 
the  Lesson  Committee  of  March  29th  is  at  hand.  It  will 

109 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


be  placed  before  the  committee  at  our  meeting  in  April 
in  Boston,  and  I  presume  will  also  come  up  before  the 
Joint  Committee  Meeting  in  London. 

The  program  that  you  outline  is  somewhat  surprising, 
for  it  involves  practically  a  nine  years’  course  of  graded 
lesson  material.  I  shall  be  exceedingly  interested  to  see 
where  your  workers  find  material  for  a  nine  years’  graded 
course  that  shall  be  in  any  true  sense  graded  material. 
I  cannot  myself  conceive  where  such  material  really 
graded  can  be  found  from  Genesis  to  Revelation.  How¬ 
ever,  it  may  be  that  the  combined  intelligence  of  skilled 
workers  can  produce  such  a  course.  The  graded  lessons 
that  I  have  seen  so  far  have  been  graded  more  in  name 
than  in  fact  as  to  material.  Of  course,  the  Lesson  Com¬ 
mittee  will  take  no  action  in  this  matter  until  after  the 
Louisville  Convention,  for  we  are  under  instructions 
from  the  Denver  Convention  which  we  are  bound  to 
carry  out  without  material  deviation. 

With  very  best  wishes, 

Yours  sincerely, 

A.  F.  SCHAUFFLER. 

Assistance  of  denominational  editors. — One  of  the 

most  influential  factors  in  bringing  about  a  system  of 
international  graded  lessons  was  the  support  of  certain 
denominational  editors  and  publishers.  Such  editors  as 
John  T.  McFarland,  J.  R.  Miller,  B.  S.  Winchester, 
C.  R.  Rlackall,  E.  B.  Chappell,  and  others,  supported  by 
their  publishers,  brought  tremendous  pressure  to  bear 
upon  the  Lesson  Committee  in  favor  of  graded  lessons. 

Leadership  within  the  International  Association. — 
Although  neither  the  International  Lesson  Committee 
nor  the  International  Sunday-School  Association  through 
its  conventions  can  be  said  to  have  taken  the  initiative 
in  providing  a  graded-lesson  system  for  the  schools, 
some  of  the  staff  of  the  international  and  its  auxiliary 

no 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


associations  were  in  this  matter  pioneers.  They  were 
rather  solitary  figures  overwhelmed  by  a  multitude 
who  were  satisfied  with  present  conditions,  and  some  of 
these  workers  found  it  necessary  to  resign  because  out 
of  sympathy  with  the  majority.  At  the  same  time  they 
were  loyal  enough  to  the  Association  to  adhere  to  the 
policy  of  trying  to  influence  the  International  Conven¬ 
tion  and  the  International  Lesson  Committee  instead 
of  trying  to  lead  a  revolt.  Mrs.  Barnes  kept  the  Lesson 
Committee  fully  informed  concerning  the  progress  of 
the  Graded  Lessons  Conference. 

The  Boston  Conference. — But  the  whole-hearted 
support  of  the  Association  and  its  Lesson  Committee 
was  assured  when  on  January  2,  1908,  in  the  home  of 
Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorne,  chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  International  Sunday-School  Asso¬ 
ciation,  an  informal  conference  of  Sunday-school  workers 
was  held.  For  two  days  fifty-four  men  and  women  sat 
in  conference  and  debated  the  question  of  graded  les¬ 
sons.  The  following  resolutions  were  passed  unani¬ 
mously  : 

(1)  That  the  system  of  a  general  lesson  for  the  whole 
school  which  has  been  in  successful  use  for  thirty-five 
years  is  still  the  most  practicable  and  effective  system 
for  the  great  majority  of  the  Sunday  schools  of  North 
America.  Because  of  its  past  accomplishments,  its 
present  usefulness,  and  its  future  possibilities,  we  recom¬ 
mend  its  continuance  and  its  fullest  development. 

(2)  That  the  need  for  a  graded  system  of  lessons  is 
expressed  by  so  many  Sunday  schools  and  workers  that 
it  should  be  adequately  met  by  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Association,  and  that  the  Lesson  Committee 
should  be  instructed  by  the  next  International  Conven¬ 
tion,  to  be  held  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  June  18-23, 

hi 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  E DUCAT DN 


icc&.  “o  ccnnnne  :he  preparation  of  a  thorough!  r  raded 
course  covering  die  entire  range  of  the  Sunda;  chool. 

The  Lesson  Committee  unanimously  adopte  these 
resolutions  is  i  part  of  its  report  to  the  convenon  in 
Louisville.  and  the  International  Association  assmbled 
in  the  convention  also  unanimously  adopted  thei. 

Immediately  upon  receipt  of  this  authorizaon  the 
Lesson  Committee  asked  for  the  help  of  the  uDihcial 
'  Traded  Lessons  Council/'  and  together  they  bean  to 
ergunize  into  rmni  form  the  lesson  outlines. 

Important  battles  for  principles. — The  attles 
fought  in  committee  sessions  for  the  next  few  yerj  wTere 
ct  the  iclghest  signihcance  to  religious  educatio.  they 
were  intense  spiritual  and  intellectual  struggles  )r  the 
truth  as  each  champion  saw  it.  It  is  fair  to  say  lat  the 
groups  involved  never  did  come  to  agreement  a  to  the 
rumose  of  a  Sunday  school  and  the  aims  of  th  curri- 
cum.  As  history  shews,  they  came  to  agreement  a  some 
essentials,  and  vhere  they  could  not  agree  each  groD  was 
Christian  enough  to  allow  for  differences  of  coviction 
by  assisting  in  the  preparation  of  alternate  courts. 

T’e  have  stated  that  the  aim  of  the  Sunda  school 
as  expressed  bv  its  most  influential  leaders  eeween 
i  Tic  and  iboo  was  twofold — the  conversion  of  tb  pupil 
and  the  imparting  of  biblical  instruction.  Soie  in- 
ffuentfal  members  of  the  International  Lesso  Com¬ 
mittee  hold  that  view  to  this  day.  In  the  years  908  to 
1  cm  they  were  distinctly  in  the  majority  and  th  bulk 
of  opinion  in  the  International  Conventions  seeied  to 
lean  that  way.  They  recognized  the  importace  of 
ether  materials  for  Christian  instruction  but  fit  that 
these  should  be  offered  through  other  organization,  and 
certainly  not  on  Sunday. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


The  party  represented  by  the  Graded  Lessons  Con¬ 
ference,  a  few  influential  editors,  and  a  small  minority 
of  the  Lesson  Committee  held  that  the  securing  of 
conversions  was  not  the  supreme  task  of  the  Sunday 
school  but  only  the  beginning  of  its  task.  The  supreme 
task  was  that  of  winning  recruits  and  of  training  them 
for  definite  Christian  world-wide  service.  While  they 
did  not  share  entirely  the  view  of  such  men  as  Dewey 
and  Thorndike  that  education  is  essentially  a  process 
of  adjustment  to  environment,  they  did  share  with  them 
the  view  that  any  true  education  is  essentially  a  method 
of  developing  lives  which  will  be  competent  to  do  their 
share  of  the  world’s  work. 

Some  of  this  progressive  party  knew  through  reading 
and  practice  the  new  theories  of  public-school  education 
with  the  emphasis  upon  knowledge  that  is  of  the  most 
use,  knowledge  which  fits  the  capacities  of  a  growing 
child  and  enables  him  to  live  completely  at  any  given 
period  of  his  life.  Others  took  their  viewpoint  from  a 
very  practical  angle.  They  asked  themselves:  “What 
are  we  producing  as  the  result  of  our  present  curriculum? 
Are  we  producing  competent  parents,  good  Sunday- 
school  teachers,  and  effective  Christian  workers  in  other 
lines?  A  school  system  must  be  measured  by  its  fruits. 
What  are  the  fruits  to  be  expected  from  seven  or  four¬ 
teen  years  of  study  in  a  uniform  lesson  curriculum?” 

The  answer  was  not  satisfactory.  One  might  reason¬ 
ably  expect  as  fruitage  that  the  boys  and  girls  would 
commit  their  lives  to  Christ,  that  they  would  know 
about  the  cardinal  Christian  virtues  such  as  honesty, 
purity,  unselfishness;  that  they  would  also  know  a  few 
Bible  stories,  and  be  able  to  recite  a  few  verses  of  Scrip¬ 
ture.  If  their  teachers  possessed  striking  personalities 
and  gifts  for  teaching,  this  knowledge  frequently  found 

1 13 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


expression  in  habits  of  honesty  and  service,  but  there 
was  no  sound  educational  practice  in  the  system  itself 
to  guarantee  this  result.  On  every  hand  people  were 
complaining  about  how  little  Christians  knew  about  the 
activities  of  the  local  church,  or  about  its  missionary 
enterprises,  and  even  about  the  great  movements  in 
the  Bible  itself. 

The  battle  over  admitting  extra-biblical  material. 

— The  real  battle  at  this  time  was  not  over  whether 
there  should  be  graded  lessons  or  not,  but  whether  any 
extra-biblical  material  should  be  offered  in  the  lessons 
themselves.  When  the  outline  submitted  by  the  Graded 
Lessons  Conference  introduced  a  few  missionary  heroes 
in  the  Junior  lessons  it  seemed  to  some  as  if  the  ark  had 
been  touched  by  unclean  hands.  To  be  sure,  not  even 
the  conservatives  had  any  objections  to  missionary 
illustrations;  in  fact,  a  large  part  of  the  lesson  period 
might  be  taken  up  with  a  discussion  of  Adoniram 
Judson  without  any  objections  being  raised,  but  the 
lesson  itself  should  be  called  a  biblical  lesson  and 
based  on  a  biblical  passage.  The  “radicals”  sug¬ 
gested  that  they  favored  devotional  Bible  readings  for 
every  extra-biblical  lesson,  but  that  if  at  a  particular 
time  in  the  boy’s  life  he  should  study  the  career  of  a 
missionary  hero,  the  lesson  title  should  indicate  the 
real  theme. 

When  a  series  of  thirteen  lessons  on  “Later  Christian 
Heroes”  was  submitted,  including  for  study  Ignatius, 
Savonarola,  Luther,  Wesley,  and  others,  the  cry  went 
up,  “What  new  heresy  is  this  which  you  are  bringing 
in?”  The  answer  was,  “We  are  simply  trying  to  line  up 
the  Sunday  school  with  its  historical  antecedents.  The 
early  catechetical  schools  in  the  days  of  the  apostles 
and  the  generations  immediately  following  studied 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


about  heroic  Christian  lives,  and  sacred  writings  which 
were  not  strictly  in  the  Bible.”  When  two  lessons  on 
Maccabean  heroes  were  introduced  to  bridge  over  the 
gap  from  the  days  of  Malachi  to  the  time  of  Christ,  a 
brilliant  Sunday-school  writer  opposed  the  plan  with 
ridicule  by  publishing  in  racy  style  a  suggested  series  to 
parallel  this.  The  following  was  a  typical  lesson: 

Subject:  John  D.  Rockefeller. 

Golden  Text:  “My  head  with  oil  thou  dost  anoint.” 

Lesson  Hymn:  “Praise  John,  from  whom  oil  blessings 
flow.” 

The  article  furnished  much  humor  for  the  Graded  Les¬ 
sons  Conference,  but  had  no  ill  effects  upon  the  forward 
movement. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  extra-biblical  material  would 
have  been  approved  had  it  not  been  for  the  vigorous 
championing  of  this  position  by  such  editors  as  John  T. 
McFarland,  Benjamin  S.  Winchester,  and  James  R. 
Miller.  These  were  convinced  that  the  curriculum 
should  offer  whatever  material  is  necessary  to  train  the 
Christian  for  efficient  service.  They  recognized  the 
Bible  as  the  principal  source  book  for  Christian  educa¬ 
tion,  and,  in  fact,  asked  for  but  very  little  extra-biblical 
material.  However,  they  did  insist  that  the  subjects  of 
Temperance,  Missions,  Church  History,  Church  Forms 
of  Organized  Work,  and  Vocational  Opportunities  should 
have  a  place  in  the  regular  lessons  instead  of  being 
presented  as  supplemental  material.14 

Pressure  from  the  denominations. — Another  factor 
entered  into  the  controversy.  The  members  of  the 

14  The  policy  of  using  graded  supplemental  material  with  the  Uniform  Lessons 
had  gained  considerable  popularity  prior  to  1910,  this  supplemental  material  deal¬ 
ing  especially  with  the  memorization  of  Bible  verses,  the  creed,  etc.  However, 
it  might  include  other  subjects.  See  p.  103. 

1 15 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


International  Lesson  Committee  were  responsible  not 
to  the  denominations  which  conducted  most  of  the 
Sunday  schools  and  prepared  the  great  bulk  of  the 
literature,  but  to  an  international  convention.  The 
denominations  as  such  had  no  representation  either  in 
the  convention  or  in  the  committee.  It  looked  as  if  an 
outside  committee  would  refuse  to  let  the  editors  have 
with  the  approval  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
Association,  what  the  editors  believed  the  people  wanted 
and  needed.  At  several  stages  in  the  proceedings  the 
editors  leading  the  movement  for  graded  lessons  con¬ 
taining  extra-biblical  material  declared  that  unless  such 
lessons  could  be  provided  with  the  sanction  of  the 
Lesson  Committee,  they  would  ignore  the  Committee 
and  prepare  their  own  lesson  outlines. 

The  result  was  a  compromise.  The  request  for  ap¬ 
proval  of  extra-biblical  material  was  granted,  but 
alternate  courses  containing  only  biblical  material  were 
offered  for  every  course  in  which  the  extra-biblical 
material  was  sanctioned. 

Such  denominations  as  the  Presbyterian,  U.  S.  A. ; 
the  Baptists,  North;  the  Congregationalists,  the  Dis¬ 
ciples,  Methodist  Episcopal,  and  the  Methodist  Epis¬ 
copal,  South,  chose  the  outlines  containing  a  small 
number  of  extra-biblical  lessons;  the  Southern  Baptists, 
and  other  influential  denominations  chose  the  outlines 
containing  only  the  biblical  materials.  A  strong  syndi¬ 
cate  was  formed  by  the  Presbyterians  of  the  North,  the 
Congregationalists,  the  Methodist  Episcopalians,  and 
the  Methodists  of  the  South  for  the  publication  of 
International  Graded  Lessons.  The  active  manage¬ 
ment  of  this  syndicate  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Arthur  F.  Stevens  of  the  Methodist  Book  Concern, 
whose  intelligent  interest  and  efficient  handling  contri- 

116 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


buted  largely  to  the  successful  introduction  of  the 
series.  The  Baptists  of  the  North  published  the  Key¬ 
stone  Series  of  International  Graded  Lessons  based 
upon  the  same  outlines  as  those  used  by  the  syndicate. 
In  1910  the  first  years  of  the  Beginners,  Primary,  and 
Junior  grades  were  issued.  By  1914  the  series  was 
practically  complete. 

Other  graded  series. — We  have  already  noted  how 
the  Bible  Study  Union  (taken  over  from  Dr.  Blakeslee 
by  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons),  and  the  Constructive  Series 
(University  of  Chicago  Press)  preceded  the  International 
Graded  Lessons.  It  should  be  said  also  that  the  Beacon 
(Unitarian)  Series  was  also  a  forerunner.  In  1916  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  developed  the  Christian 
Nurture  Series  along  very  similar  lines  to  those  of  the 
other  series,  but  using  the  Church  Year  as  the  basis  of 
organization.  Other  denominations  printed  series  fol¬ 
lowing  one  or  another  of  the  International  Lesson 
Committee’s  outlines. 

LATER  DEVELOPMENTS 

Since  1910  the  graded-lesson  courses  have  been 
growing  in  popularity.  Those  containing  the  extra- 
biblical  material  were  subjected  to  intense  criticism  in 
the  early  years;  in  part  because  of  the  extra-biblical 
lessons,  and  in  part  because  the  biblical  lesson  treatments 
were  said  to  set  forth  liberal  views  which  eliminated  the 
miraculous  and  other  vital  elements.  The  answer  was 
that  no  vital  elements  were  omitted  or  slighted.  The 
difficulty  lay  in  expecting  to  find  a  full  treatment  of  all 
points  such  as  an  adult  would  desire  in  the  material 
prepared  for  younger  pupils.  The  Presbyterian  (U.  S. 
A.)  General  Assembly  in  1913  appointed  a  Committee 
of  Investigation  with  power,  and  this  committee  com- 

n  7 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


pelled  their  publishers  to  withdraw  from  the  syndicate. 
They  withdrew  and  prepared  a  system  of  “depart- 
mentally  graded  lessons,”  which  were  largely  an  adapta¬ 
tion  of  the  completely  graded  outlines.  The  Presby¬ 
terian  and  Reformed  Churches  have  zealously  promoted 
these,  and  in  the  more  recent  years  with  considerable 
success. 

The  great  majority  of  Sunday-school  leaders  have 
for  several  years  been  vigorous  promoters  of  some 
form  of  graded  lessons,  and  the  series  as  it  existed  in 
1915  remains  substantially  as  it  was  then  with  respect 
to  topics  although  many  of  the  textbooks  have  had  one 
revision. 

The  Lesson  Committee  reorganized. — In  1914  the 
International  Lesson  Committee  was  reorganized,  so 
that  its  membership  should  be  composed  as  follows: 

(1)  Eight  members  elected  by  the  International 
Sunday-School  Association. 

(2)  Eight  members  elected  by  the  Sunday-School 
Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations. 

(3)  One  member  selected  by  each  denomination 
represented  in  the  Sunday-School  Council,  and  having 
a  lesson  committee. 

When  the  denominational  and  Sunday-School  Council 
members  took  their  seats  many  of  them  had  been 
instructed  to  stand  for  just  two  types  of  lesson  series: 

(1)  A  completely  graded-lesson  series. 

(2)  A  departmentally  graded-lesson  series. 

This  would  abolish  the  International  Uniform  Series 
which  had  been  unchanged  by  the  agitation  for  graded 
lessons,  and  which  still  commanded  a  large  following. 
While  the  friends  of  a  Uniform  Lesson  Series  were 
probably  in  a  minority  in  the  new  Lesson  Committee, 
the  other  members,  for  the  sake  of  harmony,  consented 

118 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


to  delay  pushing  their  proposition.  They  did,  however, 
modify  somewhat  the  Uniform  Lesson  Series  so  that  the 
principle  of  uniformity  was  maintained  through  a  com¬ 
mon  Golden  Text,  common  Daily  Bible  Readings,  and,  so 
far  as  possible,  a  common  portion  of  the  Scriptures  for 
the  lesson  material.  This  section  of  the  Scriptures,  how¬ 
ever,  might  include  several  chapters  instead  of  just  one 
short  passage.  Separate  lesson  topics  were  selected  for 
four  age-groups,  Primary,  Junior,  Intermediate-Senior, 
and  Young  People- Adult.  If  necessary,  separate  por¬ 
tions  of  Scripture  were  chosen,  but  the  common  general 
theme  remained  unless  it  was  obviously  unsuited  to  the 
younger  children.  This  resulted  frequently  in  a  separate 
lesson  for  the  youngest  children,  but  the  lessons  for  the 
older  groups  were  not  greatly  modified. 

For  several  years  following  1914  the  subcommittee  on 
Uniform  Lessons  and  the  subcommittee  on  Graded 
Lessons  in  the  International  Lesson  Committee,  worked 
diligently  to  perfect  their  series.  A  special  committee  on 
Adult  Courses  prepared  several  outlines  for  special  adult 
courses — mostly  biblical  but  not  exclusively  so.  The  sub¬ 
committee  on  Departmentally  Graded  Lessons  kept  on 
the  alert  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  secure  a  favorable 
hearing.  In  April,  1920,  the  Graded  Lesson  Committee 
presented  a  report  asking  for  a  careful  new  investigation 
of  the  entire  field  of  curriculum  needs.  At  the  same  time 
the  Committee  on  Departmentally  Graded  Lessons 
pleaded  for  prompt  action.  In  fact,  a  definite  scheme 
for  Primary  departmental  lessons  was  being  presented 
at  this  session  through  the  initiative  of  a  member  of  the 
Uniform  Lesson  Committee  who  saw  that  the  Primary 
adaptation  of  the  Uniform  Lesson  was  a  handicap  to 
the  improvement  and  success  of  a  “Uniform  Lesson 
Series.” 


119 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Revisions  in  prospect. — It  was  generally  felt  to  be 
inexpedient  to  launch  three  lesson  systems,  namely,  a 
closely  graded,  a  departmentally  graded,  and  a  uniform, 
so  a  committee  of  seven,  under  the  chairmanship  of 
Luther  A.  Weigle,  was  appointed  to  survey  the  whole 
field.  The  gist  of  the  report  of  his  committee  as  adopted 
in  December,  1920,  is  as  follows: 

In  the  first  place,  the  commission  indicated  the  scope 
of  its  investigations.  Questionnaires  had  been  sent  to 
six  hundred  and  twenty-seven  carefully  selected  persons 
from  the  following  groups:  ( a )  editors  of  the  various 
publishing  houses,  denominational  and  commercial;  ( b ) 
general,  district,  and  local  Sunday-school  workers  as 
well  as  other  experts  in  religious  education;  (c)  heads 
of  departments  of  religious  education  in  various  uni¬ 
versities  and  theological  seminaries  which  maintain,  in 
one  form  or  another,  experimental  schools  of  religion. 
While  only  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  replies  were 
received,  they  were  so  widely  distributed  geographically 
and  denominationally  as  to  warrant  very  significant 
conclusions.  The  commission  reported  that  the  tabula¬ 
tion  and  evaluation  of  the  various  materials  “made 
clear  the  following  facts”:15 

Results  of  investigation. — 

1.  There  is  general  commendation  of  such  improve¬ 
ment  of  the  Uniform  Lessons  as  has  been  secured  by 
their  departmental  adaptation.  The  figures  submitted  to 
the  Commission  indicate  that  the  use  of  the  Uniform  and 
Improved  Uniform  Lessons,  though  growing  in  some 

16  Quoted  from  report  of  the  Commission  as  submitted  to  the  International  Les¬ 
son  Committee.  For  complete  report  of  actions  taken  by  the  Committee  at  its 
meetings  in  Atlantic  City,  Dec.  29,  30,  1920,  see  “The  International  Sunday- 
School  Lesson  Committee,  Dec.,  1917-Sept.,  1921.  Reports,  Actions  and  Output, 
Part  2,”  by  Professor  Ira  M.  Price,  Secretary  of  the  Lesson  Committee,  Chicago, 
1922. 


120 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


denominations,  is  on  the  whole  not  keeping  pace  with 
the  growing  enrollment  of  the  Sunday  schools. 

2.  The  International  Graded  Lessons  are  rapidly 
growing  in  circulation  and  are  giving  general  satisfaction 
both  in  their  original  closely  graded  form,  and  as  depart- 
mentally  adapted. 

3.  There  is  a  widespread  demand  for  courses  graded 
by  age  groups. 

4.  Certain  additional  needs  are  emphasized  by  the 
returns  as  not  being  adequately  met  by  existing  lesson 
systems.  These  include  (a)  Material  suited  to  stimulate 
a  personal  decision  for  Christ  and  commitment  to  his 
service  through  membership  in  the  church.  (6)  Material 
designed  to  train  the  pupil  in  the  functions  and  duties  of 
church  membership,  (c)  Material  suited  to  stimulate  and 
guide  a  religious  choice  of  a  lifework.  (d)  Material  suit¬ 
able  for  training  in  worship,  (e)  Material,  well  chosen 
and  properly  ordered,  for  memorization.  ( f )  Material 
for  missionary  education. 

5.  Our  correspondents  in  general  agree  that  a  system 
of  lessons  for  the  Sunday  school  should  be  pupil-centered 
rather  than  material-centered.  The  aim  of  the  curriculum 
should  be  to  nurture  the  growing  moral  and  religious  life 
of  the  child,  and  to  lead  to  a  permanent  commitment  of 
that  life  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  fitness  for 
service  in  his  kingdom.  The  lesson  materials  should  be 
chosen  with  a  view  to  their  fitness  to  accomplish  this  aim 
throughout  the  varying  periods  of  the  child’s  growth, 
rather  than  with  a  view  to  their  logical  completeness  or 
chronological  order. 

6.  Many  of  our  correspondents  voice  the  conviction 
that  neither  the  Uniform  Lessons  nor  the  Graded  Lessons 
impart  a  complete  enough  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  or  give 
to  the  pupil  the  disposition  and  the  ability  to  use  God’s 
Word  intelligently.  At  the  same  time  the  need  is  ex¬ 
pressed  for  enough  extra-biblical  material  from  nature 
and  present-day  social  life  to  give  to  the  pupil  a  religious 

*21 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


attitude  toward  the  world  in  which  he  lives,  and  for 
enough  extra-biblical  historical  material  to  give  the  pupil 
an  adequate  impression  of  the  continuity  of  God’s  presence 
and  purpose  in  history. 

7.  The  curriculum  should  give  more  opportunity  for 
pupil  activity,  for  training  in  Christian  service,  and  for 
the  motivation  of  instruction  by  the  problems  and  pur¬ 
poses  of  the  pupil  in  connection  with  this  activity,  as  well 
as  for  the  expression  in  this  activity  of  ideas  imparted  in 
instruction. 

8.  There  is  a  growing  demand  and  opportunity  for 
week-day  religious  instruction.  It  would  be  unfortunate 
to  have  a  week-day  curriculum  of  religion  constructed 
independently  of  the  curriculum  of  the  Sunday  school. 

9.  The  whole  of  our  correspondence  has  deepened  our 
sense  of  the  value  of  the  interdenominational  cooperation 
in  which  the  churches  have  now  engaged  for  nearly  fifty 
years  through  the  International  Sunday-School  Lesson 
Committee.  This  is  a  thing  to  be  safeguarded  and 
strengthened. 

10.  There  is  a  widespread  demand  for  simplicity, 
stability,  and  definiteness  in  the  procedure  and  policy  of 
this  Committee. 

Recommendations 

Your  Commission  recommends: 

1.  That  we  construct  all  of  our  lessons  hereafter  upon 
the  principle  of  gradation,  recognizing  two  basic  types 
of  Sunday-school  lesson: 

(a)  Lessons  graded  by  years. 

( b )  Lessons  graded  by  age-groups. 

2.  That  the  present  system  of  International  Graded 
Lessons  be  not  now  further  revised  by  this  Committee, 
the  denominations  being  free  as  heretofore  to  malm  such 
revision  as  they  may  choose. 

3.  That  the  Committee  proceed  with  the  construction 
of  a  system  of  lessons  graded  to  meet  the  needs  of  each 
of  five  age-groups: 


1 22 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


(а)  Primary:  ages  6,  7,  8;  Grades  1,  2,  3. 

(б)  Junior  “  9,  10,  11  “  4,  5,  6. 

(c)  Intermediate  “  12,  13,  14  “  7,  8,  9. 

(d)  Senior  “  15,  16,  17  “  10,  n,  12. 

(e)  Adult  (including  young  people). 

That  these  lessons  be  predominantly  biblical  in  contents, 
consecutive  and  cumulative,  and  that  they  aim  to  im¬ 
part  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  that 
they  give  to  the  pupil  the  ability  and  disposition  to  use 
the  Word  of  God  intelligently;  that  they  be  dated,  and 
that  they  move  in  a  three-year  cycle  for  each  group. 

4.  That  as  an  integral  part  of  this  system  of  lessons 
the  Committee  provide  a  dated  series  of  services  of 
worship  with  correlated  materials  for  memorization,  for 
the  use  of  the  whole  school  or  of  such  departments  as 
may  desire  it,  together  with  materials  for  Daily  Bible 
Readings  and  Family  Worship. 

5.  That  the  new  system  of  lessons  thus  to  be  con¬ 
structed  be  known  officially  as  The  International  Sunday- 
School  Lessons:  Group  Graded  Series,  and  that  the 
present  system  of  graded  lessons  which  is  to  continue 
without  revision  by  the  Committee  be  known  officially 
as  The  International  Sunday-School  Lessons:  Closely 
Graded  Series.  That  we  recognize  as  short  popular  titles 
for  these  two  systems  the  following: 

(a)  International  Group  Lessons. 

( b )  International  Graded  Lessons. 

6.  That  the  new  system  of  International  Group  Les¬ 
sons  shall  replace  the  Improved  Uniform  Lessons  begin¬ 
ning  January  1,  1924.  .  .  .  (Amended.) 

A  seventh  recommendation  was  adopted  as  follows: 
“That  the  International  Sunday-School  Lesson  Com¬ 
mittee  proceed,  as  rapidly  as  may  be  possible,  with  the 
construction  of  a  new  curriculum  of  religious  education 
which  shall  provide  in  integrated  fashion  for  both  Sun- 

123 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


day  and  week-day  hours,  this  to  be  known  as  ‘The 
International  Curriculum  of  Religious  Education.’  ” 
Except  for  eliminating  the  date  when  the  International 
Group  Lessons  should  replace  the  Improved  Uniform 
Lessons,  only  minor  amendments  were  offered  to  the 
report  of  the  commission.  The  large  representative 
company  of  workers  present  at  this  session  of  the  com¬ 
mittee  felt  that  a  very  valuable  analysis  of  the  situation 
had  been  made.  However,  after  debate,  it  was  the 
unanimous  desire  of  the  committee  to  withhold  judg¬ 
ment  concerning  the  extent  to  which  the  Group  Graded 
Lessons  should  replace  the  Improved  Uniform  Lessons 
until  the  Commission  should  submit  the  actual  new 
series  of  lesson  titles.  The  Commission  submitted  lesson 
titles  and  readings  for  the  Primary  and  Junior  groups, 
three  years  each,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Lesson  Com¬ 
mittee  in  September,  1921,  and  the  material  was 
released  for  general  criticism.  Final  action  approving 
these  lessons  was  taken  in  April,  1922,  and  the  action 
with  reference  to  substitution  of  these  for  the  Im¬ 
proved  Uniform  was  as  follows:  “ Resolved,  That  in 
view  of  the  exceptional  character  of  the  Improved 
Uniform  Lessons  for  1924,  and  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  adaptations  of  these  lessons  to  the  Primary  and 
Junior  grades  have  already  been  made  by  the  Sub¬ 
committee  on  Improved  Uniform  Lessons,  the  Secre¬ 
tary  be  authorized  to  issue,  as  a  supplement  to  the 
Improved  Uniform  Lessons  for  1924,  for  the  infor¬ 
mation  and  assistance  of  publishers  and  denominational 
lesson  committees,  the  adaptations  already  made.” 
According  to  this  action  Sunday-school  editors  and 
publishers  may  offer  to  their  people  for  the  year 
1924  with  the  sanction  of  the  Lesson  Committee:  (a) 
International  Graded  Lessons;  (b)  International  Group 

124 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


Lessons  for  the  Primary  and  Junior  groups,  with 
International  Improved  Uniform  Lessons  for  the 
Intermediate- Senior,  Young  People- Adult  groups;  (c) 
International  Improved  Uniform  Lessons  for  all  four 
age-groups. 

SUMMARY 

We  have  devoted  this  entire  chapter  to  tracing  the 
development  of  the  curriculum  that  has  been  most 
widely  used  by  the  leading  Protestant  denominations. 
An  adequate  presentation  of  the  subject  would  call  for 
a  careful  analysis  of  the  curricula  of  the  Roman  Cath¬ 
olic,  the  Jewish,  the  Mormon,  the  Christian  Science, 
and  other  Sunday  schools,  together  with  curricula  for 
week-day  schools,  but  the  limits  of  this  chapter  do  not 
permit  such  treatment. 

We  have  traced  the  development  of  curricula  in 
religious  education  from  the  Hornbook  and  New  England 
Primer  of  the  public-school  colonial  days  down  to  the 
closely  graded  series  of  Sunday-school  lessons  of  the 
present  period.  Other  curricula  developments  are  under 
way,  but  to  these  we  will  give  attention  in  another 
chapter.  In  general,  the  development  of  curricula  in 
the  Sunday  school  has  paralleled  that  of  the  public 
school.  It  has  not  taken  in  so  wide  a  range  of  materials 
but  it  has  gradually  increased  the  range  of  its  subjects, 
and  it  has  come  to  test  all  of  this  material  by  the  ques¬ 
tion,  “Is  it  useful  to  prepare  the  pupil  for  his  place  in 
the  social  process?”  which  to  the  Christian  means  his 
place  in  bringing  about  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

Much  remains  to  be  done  to  perfect  the  selection  and 
organization  of  material,  but  where  used  by  competent 
teachers  it  is  actually  producing  competent  Christian 
fathers  and  mothers,  teachers  and  other  workers.  In 

125 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  minds  of  many  progressive  leaders  all  of  the  present 
series  or  systems  of  graded  lessons  place  too  much 
emphasis  upon  imparting  information  either  biblical  or 
extra-biblical  and  give  too  little  attention  to  the  lessons 
that  are  to  be  learned  in  the  pupil’s  immediate  environ¬ 
ment.16  They  would  have  the  curricula  organized  so  that 
the  approach  would  be  made  through  the  problems 
arising  out  of  the  pupil’s  environment.  The  future 
curricula  will  doubtless  place  more  emphasis  upon  the 
student’s  immediate  interests  and  problems,  but  will 
not  neglect  to  equip  him  with  the  knowledge  of  the 
essential  religious  and  social  facts  which  he  needs  as 
preparation  for  Christian  service. 

Topics  for  discussion: 

1.  Why  does  a  curriculum  refuse  to  “stay  put”?  Is 

there  any  danger  of  making  a  pupil  the  slave  to 
a  curriculum  which  does  not  fit  his  needs?  If 
so,  what  remedies  do  you  recommend? 

2.  Try  to  estimate  what  type  of  religious  character 

the  curriculum  of  the  colonial  period  would 
produce. 

3.  Try  to  estimate  what  type  of  religious  character 

the  day  school  curriculum  of  1800-1840  would 
produce;  also  what  type  the  Sunday-school  cur¬ 
riculum  of  the  same  period  would  produce. 

4.  Make  the  same  estimate  for  the  period  1870  to 

1890. 

5.  Would  you  have  voted  for  an  International  Uniform 

Lesson  System  if  you  had  been  at  the  Indian¬ 
apolis  Convention  in  1872?  Explain  how  you 
would  have  voted,  and  why. 

16  George  Albert  Coe — Opposing  Theories  of  the  Curriculum.  Religious  Educa¬ 
tion,  April,  1922,  p.  43ff. 


126 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CURRICULA 


6.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  there  were  many  experi¬ 

ments  with  some  form  of  graded  lessons  prior  to 
i860,  how  do  you  account  for  the  overwhelming, 
almost  unanimous,  vote  in  the  convention  in 
Indianapolis  for  Uniform  Lessons? 

7.  Has  the  influence  of  denominational  publishing 

houses  in  curriculum  matters  been  on  the  whole 
good  or  bad? 

8.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  needs  of  pupils  in  1908, 

what  were  the  merits  and  defects  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Uniform  Lesson  System? 

9.  Which  do  you  favor  for  a  Sunday  school  of  three 

hundred  pupils  in  a  community  of  average  in¬ 
telligence  :  a  closely  graded  system  of  lessons  for 
the  entire  school,  or  a  uniform  lesson  for  all 
pupils  above  eleven  years  of  age?  What  are 
some  of  the  tests  which  a  curriculum  for  a 
particular  Sunday  school  should  meet? 

10.  Compare  some  of  the  principal  series  of  textbooks 

used  in  Sunday  schools  of  to-day. 

11.  What  should  be  the  next  step  in  curriculum  making? 

Brief  bibliography  of  selected  references: 

Sampey — The  International  Lesson  System .  The 
Sunday-School  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven¬ 
tion  and  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York,  1911. 

Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States. 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston,  1919. 

Rice — Important  and  Remarkable  Epochs  in  the  His¬ 
tory  of  Sunday  Schools.  American  Sunday-School  Union, 
1905. 

Pease — An  Outline  of  a  Bible  School  Curriculum.  The 
University  of  Chicago  Press,  Chicago,  1904. 
Burton-Mathews — Principles  and  Ideals  for  the  Mod- 

127 


a 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


ern  Sunday  School.  The  University  of  Chicago  Press, 
Chicago,  1903. 

Hazlett — The  Pedagogical  Bible  School.  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company,  New  York,  1903. 

Coe — Education  in  Religion  and  Morals.  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company,  New  York,  1904. 

Forbush — The  Coming  Generation.  D.  Appleton  and 
Company,  New  York,  1912. 

Meyer — The  Graded  Sunday  School  in  Principle  and 
Practice.  Eaton  Sc  Mains,  New  York,  1910. 

Athearn — The  Church  School.  The  Pilgrim  Press, 
Boston,  1914. 

Leaflets  prepared  by  the  publishers  of  Sunday-school 
lesson  materials,  by  denominational  Sunday-school 
Boards,  and  by  the  International  and  State  Sunday- 
School  Associations  or  Councils. 


e 


128 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  TEACHER¬ 
TRAINING  MOVEMENT 

No  school  system  can  rise  higher  than  the  ability  of 
its  teachers.  We  are  not  surprised  that  American 
public  schools  made  so  little  progress  for  a  hundred  and 
fifty  years  when  one  teacher  worked  every  lesson  out 
with  each  individual  pupil  instead  of  conducting  class 
recitations.  Nor  could  we  expect  a  great  deal  more 
except  improved  memorization,  and  perhaps  improved 
writing  from  the  Lancastrian  monitor  system,  where  the 
school  was  divided  into  groups  of  ten  under  a  captain 
who  knew  little  more  than  the  pupils,  but  who  had  a 
drill  schedule  before  him  and  therefore  could  speed  up 
the  progress  of  a  pupil  in  some  forms  of  development. 
Probably  even  the  poorest  Sunday-school  teacher  of 
that  day  was  quite  as  competent  to  instruct  as 
these  youthful  monitors  were — the  difference  however 
being  that  the  monitors  did  have  material  better  suited 
to  their  purpose  than  many  of  the  Sunday-school 
teachers  had. 

EARLY  STAGES  OF  DEVELOPMENT 

The  Sunday-school  teaching  force  of  America  has  been 
developed  upon  a  volunteer  basis — whether  rightly  or 
wrongly  some  one  else  must  say.  However,  the  student 
of  history  will  probably  admit  that  no  scheme  ever 
devised  outside  of  the  family  has  secured  so  much  free 
time  placed  at  the  disposal  of  children  for  their  guidance 

129 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


as  the  Sunday  school  with  its  volunteer  teachers.  The 
plan  has  serious  defects  as  well  as  great  merits,  but  it 
made  a  nation-wide  system  of  religious  schools  possible. 

It  would  look  to  the  writer  as  if  the  ability  of  the 
average  Sunday-school  teacher  for  the  first  forty  years 
of  the  last  century  was  not  far  below  that  of  the  average 
public-school  teacher.  Separate  classrooms  for  the 
grades  did  not  come  into  common  use  in  the  public 
schools  until  about  1840.  The  public-school  teacher 
had  some  advantage  in  the  improving  lesson  materials 
while  the  Sunday-school  teacher  was  drilling  his  pupils 
in  the  memorizing  of  catechisms  and  Bible  verses.  How¬ 
ever,  the  advantage  of  time  has  always  been  with  the 
public-school  teacher,  for  one  day  out  of  the  week  is  not 
enough  for  religious  instruction,  and  the  usual  one  hour 
allotted  out  of  this  day  is  altogether  inadequate. 

Rise  of  the  State  normal  school. — But  the  greatest 
difference  between  public-school  teachers  and  Sunday- 
school  teachers  came  when  the  normal  schools,  in  the 
face  of  much  opposition,  rapidly  vindicated  themselves 
and  the  normal-school  movement  became  popular.  How 
slow  this  movement  was  in  getting  under  headway  in 
the  United  States  is  shown  by  the  following  table:1 

The  States  which  established  normal  schools  before 
i860  and  their  order  of  establishment  were: 

1839  Massachusetts  (1st) 

1839  “  (2nd) 

1840  “  (3rd) 

1844  New  York 

1849  Connecticut 

1849  Michigan 

1854  Massachusetts  (4th) 

1  Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  293.  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  publishers.  Used  by  permission. 

130 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


1854  Rhode  Island 

1855  New  Jersey 

1857  Illinois 

1859  Pennsylvania 

1860  Minnesota 

But  after  the  success  of  the  normal  school  at  Elmira, 
New  York,  and  of  others,  improvements  in  public-school 
work  came  rapidly.  It  is  significant  that  the  completion 
of  the  separation  between  church  schools  and  State 
schools  paralleled  these  years  when  the  normal  schools 
were  getting  under  headway.  Ignorance  of  teaching 
methods  and  sectarian  rivalry  both  held  back  the 
public-school  progress,  but  after  the  Civil  War,  as  we 
have  noted,  the  improvement  of  the  public  schools  was 
rapid. 

Early  appeals  for  training  of  Sunday-school 
teachers. — Before  considering  the  program  of  teacher 
training,  let  us  consider  again  what  was  the  aim  of  the 
Sunday  school  of  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
The  primary  aim  was  clearly  “conversion”  rather  than 
Christian  nurture.  The  nurture  processes  were  drills  in 
reciting  the  catechism  and  Bible  verses.  That  some 
workers  had  a  better  conception  of  how  to  teach  religion 
is  clearly  shown  by  such  books  of  the  time  as,  The  End 
and  Essence  of  Sabbath  School  Teaching ,  mentioned  in 
the  preceding  chapter.  Horace  Bushnell’s  Christian 
Nurture  was  prophetic  of  a  distant  new  day,  also  the 
appeal  of  the  Methodist  bishops  for  graded  lessons  in 
1844.  Everyone  probably  knew  even  in  that  remote 
day  that  the  memorizing  of  catechisms  and  Bible  verses 
was  not  sufficient  to  guarantee  growth  into  strong 
Christian  character,  but  the  majority  of  the  leaders 
clearly  limited  the  Sunday  school  to  this  phase  of 
Christian  nurture. 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


The  Rev.  D.  P.  Kidder,  D.D.,  in  1847,  then  cor¬ 
responding  secretary  of  the  Sunday-School  Union  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  his  annual  report 
made  the  following  plea  in  behalf  of  normal  Sunday 
schools: 

In  addition  to  the  means  hitherto  employed  to  advance 
this  cause,  we  think  it  time  to  ask  whether  a  system  of 
normal  Sabbath-school  instruction  may  not  be  established. 
Schools  thus  designated  have  been  founded  by  several 
States  of  this  republic,  for  the  express  purpose  of  training 
and  qualifying  teachers  for  common  schools. 

Besides  the  regular  institutions  founded  and  supported 
by  the  States,  voluntary  organizations  called  “Teachers’ 
Institutes,"  have  been  formed,  with  a  kindred  object,  in 
many  of  the  counties,  especially  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  At  these  institutes,  which  are  only  of  brief  dura¬ 
tion,  the  time  is  devoted  to  mutual  improvement  by 
means  of  lectures,  reviews,  examinations  in  different 
branches  of  study,  and  explanations  of  different  modes 
of  teaching  and  governing.  Such  meetings  of  teachers,  if 
judiciously  conducted,  can  hardly  fail  to  be  profitable; 
and  they  give  occasion  to  ask  why  Sunday-school  teachers 
may  not  have  similar  means  of  improvement?  Perhaps  a 
basis  for  them  is  already  established  in  our  district  Sun¬ 
day-school  conventions,  and  in  the  courses  of  lectures 
often  delivered  to  Sunday-school  teachers. 

Why  may  not  these  be  rendered  more  practical,  and 
consequently  more  interesting?  Even  if  all  the  teachers 
of  a  district  could  not  meet  during  a  sufficient  length  of 
time  to  take  a  complete  series  of  lessons  on  the  best 
methods  of  Sunday-school  instruction,  those  who  could, 
if  representatives  of  the  different  schools,  might  return 
and  impart  the  knowledge  they  had  received  to  their 
several  associates.  In  cities,  if  the  spirit  of  the  enterprise 
sufficiently  prevailed,  normal  classes  of  Sunday-school 
teachers  might  be  organized  whenever  the  services  of  a 

132 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


competent  person  could  be  secured  to  conduct  them. 
Who  can  tell  what  an  amount  of  good  might  be  accom¬ 
plished  were  some  dozens  of  our  most  successful  and 
competent  laborers  in  our  Sunday  schools  to  devote  a 
portion  of  their  time,  annually,  to  training  teachers  on 
the  plan  now  suggested?  Could  they  succeed,  by  such 
means,  in  elevating  the  general  character  of  Sunday- 
school  instruction?  Could  they  give  a  new  impetus  to 
one  of  the  greatest  benevolent  movements  of  the  age? 
Could  they,  by  moving  upon  the  minds  of  some  hundreds 
of  teachers,  influence  the  hearts  and  character  of  thou¬ 
sands  of  children?  Would  they  regret  any  sacrifices 
necessary  to  accomplish  such  glorious  ends?2 

The  following  year  he  again  referred  to  the  subject  as 
follows: 

“The  proposal  of  normal  instruction  for  Sabbath- 
school  teachers  was  suggested  in  our  last  report.  We 
confess,  however,  that  we  fear  the  day  is  distant  when 
the  church  will  take  as  high  ground  on  this  subject  as 
that  assumed  by  several  States  of  the  Union,  viz.,  that 
in  order  to  promote  general  education  most  effectually 
institutions  must  be  provided  for  the  special  instruction 
of  teachers.”3 

Early  normal  courses. — Although  Dr.  Kidder  was 
apparently  discouraged  over  the  slow  progress  being 
made  in  normal  instruction  for  Sunday-school  teachers, 
it  must  not  be  thought  that  nothing  was  being  done  in 
this  direction.  A  few  schools  under  competent  leadership 
were  providing  programs  for  the  training  of  their 
teachers.  The  following  is  taken  from  the  frontispiece 
of  one  of  the  earliest  teacher-training  textbooks: 


2  Annual  Report  of  the  Sunday-School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
published  by  Lane  &  Tippett,  New  York,  1847,  pp.  47.  48. 

*  See  report  of  1848,  p.  99. 


133 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


The 

Teacher  Taught: 

An 

Humble  Attempt 
to  Make  the 

Path  of  the  Sunday  School  Teacher 

Straight  and  Plain. 

Written  for  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  and  Revised 
By  the  Committee  of  Publication 
Philadelphia 
(1839). 

This  book  contains  nineteen  chapters  and  three 
hundred  ninety-five  pages.  A  few  of  the  chapter  head¬ 
ings  are  as  follows:  “On  the  Origin  and  Progress  of 
Sunday  Schools,5’  “On  the  Organization  of  Sunday 
Schools,55  “On  the  Superintendent,55  “On  the  Personal 
Duties  and  Qualifications  of  Sunday  School  Teachers,55 
“On  Teachers’  Meetings,55  “On  the  Susceptibility  of 
Children  to  Religious  Impressions.55 

The  following  quotation  is  significant:  “When  we 
speak  of  religious  education  we  mean,  of  course,  educa¬ 
tion  for  God,  and  this  implies  (as  we  have  already 
hinted)  not  merely  education  in  the  science  of  religion, 
but  the  feeling  and  experience  of  its  transforming  power 
upon  the  heart.  .  .  .  We  mean  that  the  grand  ultimate 
object  of  all  his  tutors  and  governors  in  every  branch 
and  department  of  instruction  will  be,  with  God’s 
blessing,  to  make  him  while  he  is  a  child  a  believer  in 
the  Bible,  and  (so  far  as  religion  is  concerned)  nothing 
but  the  Bible.554 

The  success  of  the  State  normal  schools  seems  to 
have  had  an  immediate  effect  upon  Sunday-school 
leaders.  In  i860  Dr.  John  H.  Vincent,  speaking  to 
his  ministerial  colleagues  in  Galena,  Illinois,  asked, 
“Why  can  we  not  have  a  teachers’  institute,  similar 


i  The  Teacher  Taught,  £p.  370,  371.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union,  pub¬ 
lishers.  Used  by  permission. 

134 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


to  that  of  the  public  schools,  in  every  district?’7  And 
they  answered,  “We  will.77  In  1862  he  said  in  the 
London  Convention:  “We  cannot  have  normal  colleges 
yet  in  every  community,  so  I  recommend  that  we  do 
the  best  we  can  with  opportunities  now  within  our 
reach.  In  training  teachers  we  must  first  secure  a  pro¬ 
found  personal  conviction  of  the  responsibilities  of  the 
teacher’s  ofiice  in  the  mind  of  the  young  candidate. 
Once  make  him  feel  that  and  he  will  learn.  Without 
that  conviction  no  combination  of  circumstances,  no 
outward  appliances,  can  make  a  teacher  of  him.  Having 
this,  then  give  him  books  to  read  on  the  subject.  I 
recommend  Mr.  Inglis’  book  on  The  Sabbath  School , 
having  used  it  in  American  Sunday  School  Normal 
Classes  as  a  textbook  for  two  years.”5  After  speaking  of 
organizing  normal  classes  and  conducting  weekly 
teachers’  meetings,  he  remarks,  “If  we  cannot  have 
perfect  normal  colleges,  let  us  use  all  the  little  common 
appliances  we  have.”6 

“The  Sunday-School  Teachers*  Institute.” — 
Another  glimpse  of  the  teacher-training  movement  may 
be  caught  from  the  words  of  John  S.  Hart  in  the  intro¬ 
duction  to  the  book  entitled  The  Sunday-School  Teachers' 
Institute ,  published  in  1866: 

It  is  time  that  some  general  movement  was  made  in 
the  matter  of  teacher  training.  Of  the  three  hundred 
thousand  teachers  who  are  guiding  and  sustaining  the 
great  work  of  instruction  probably  less  than  one  tenth 
have  ever  had  any  regular  professional  training  for  the 
business  of  teaching.  .  .  . 

Why  should  not  our  theological  seminaries  make 
some  provision  on  this  subject?  A  young  man  goes  to  a 


8  Report  of  Conveatioo,  .p.  153- 
8  Ibid.,  p.  153- 


135 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


theological  seminary  for  the  purpose  of  being  fitted  and 
trained  for  the  pastoral  office.  In  the  providence  of  God, 
and  the  practical  working  of  Christian  institutions  at 
this  time,  a  large  portion  of  the  pastor’s  work — that  part 
of  his  work  too  which  is  most  productive  of  results — lies 
among  the  young  of  his  flock. 

Let  the  plain,  painful  truth  be  spoken.  Our  Sabbath 
schools  are  taught  by  those  who  know  not  how  to  teach. 
Of  course  there  are  many  brilliant  exceptions.  I  speak 
only  of  the  general  fact.  Yet  these  unskilled  teachers, 
with  all  their  imperfections  as  teachers,  are  among  the 
noblest  Christians  in  the  land.  No  one  knows  so  well  as 
they  themselves  do  the  extent  of  their  deficiencies  and 
imperfections.  No  one  longs  as  they  do  for  the  knowledge 
and  the  skill  to  do  better.  Their  hearts  ache  for  the  long¬ 
ing  they  have  to  serve  the  Master  efficiently  in  this 
glorious  cause.  There  is  no  fear  that  they  will  not  respond 
to  any  well-considered  and  practical  plan  by  which  their 
talents  may  be  guided  and  their  laborious  services  made 
more  effectual.  What  the  leaders  in  Israel,  the  wise  men 
in  the  church,  the  ministers  and  superintendents,  the 
working  and  thinking  men  of  large  hearts  and  long  heads 
owe  to  this  cause,  is  the  devising  and  maturing  of  plans 
for  the  improvement  of  our  Sabbath-school  teachers. 
Our  schools  will  never  accomplish  what  they  should  do 
until  our  teachers  know  better  how  to  teach  and  what  to 
teach.  Our  teachers  must  themselves  be  taught.  Whoever 
shall  devise  the  means  of  doing  this  effectually  will  help 
forward  the  great  cause  as  much  as  if  they  were  to  put  a 
hundred  missionaries  in  the  field.7 

According  to  Dr.  Vincent:  “The  chief  aim  of  the 
Sunday  school  is  the  spiritual  culture  of  its  members.  It 
should  bring  children  to  Jesus,  and  train  them  for  his 
serviced’8  How  well  Dr.  Vincent’s  plans  for  teacher 

7J.  H.  Vincent — The  Sunday-School  Teachers'  Institute.  Adams  Blackmer 
and  Lyon,  Chicago,  1866. 

8  Ibid.,  p.  7. 

136 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


training  were  matured  by  the  year  1 866  is  shown  by 
the  following  outline  of  his  aims  and  of  the  course: 

1.  The  success  of  teachers’  institutes  in  advancing  the 
interests  of  secular  education  throughout  the  country, 
has  suggested  to  some  earnest  friends  of  the  Sunday 
school  the  practicability  and  desirableness  of  adopting  a 
similar  method  for  the  promotion  of  the  higher  and  nobler 
ends  which  this  institution  contemplates.  In  these  in¬ 
stitutes  methods  of  teaching  are  announced  and  illus¬ 
trated.  Experienced  educators  unfold  the  underlying 
principles  of  training.  The  comparison  of  plans  excites 
animated  discussion.  Suggestions  are  made  which  quicken 
and  strengthen  all  who  hear  them.  Youthful  teachers 
go  to  their  work  with  new  purposes  and  plans  for  personal 
culture  and  professional  labor.  The  institute  exercises 
make  a  constant  demand  for  intellectual  effort.  Thus 
they  are  a  means  of  mental  discipline. 

2.  In  addition  to  these  elements  of  the  institute  one 
other  is  needed  in  its  adaptation  to  the  Sunday-school 
system — a  Sunday-school  teachers’  curriculum.  We  need  a 
regular  course  of  preparatory  study,  which  all  enterprising 
teachers,  and  candidates  from  our  senior  classes  for  the 
teacher’s  office,  may  pursue. 

3.  We  offer  the  following,  as  a  general  course  of  study, 
to  meet  this  demand.  Let  it  comprise: 

A  series  of  about  fifty  exercises,  to  extend  through 
one  or  two  years,  as  circumstances  may  determine,  as 
follows : 

(1)  Five  lectures  by  a  professional  and  experienced 
teacher,  on  the  principles  and  art  of  teaching. 

(2)  Ten  lectures  on  the  Bible,  its  history,  writers,  in¬ 
spiration,  original  languages,  style,  evidences,  etc.,  with 
lectures  on  biblical  criticism. 

(3)  Ten  specimen  lessons  for  infant,  advanced,  and 
adult  classes. 

(4)  Ten  exegetical  exercises,  from  the  Old-  and  New- 

137 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Testament  history,  from  the  Psalms,  Prophecies,  and 
Epistles. 

(5)  Ten  catechetical  lessons  for  concert  recitation  on 
Bible  history,  geography,  chronology,  ancient  manners 
and  customs,  etc.,  covering  in  comprehensive  lessons  the 
field  of  biblical  archaeology. 

(6)  Five  lectures  on  the  organization,  objects,  history, 
management,  church  relations,  and  development  of  the 
Sunday-school  work.9 

Then  he  recommends  reading  exercises  by  pastors, 
theological  seminaries,  higher  institutes,  especially  our 
female  seminaries,  local  unions,  and  summer  institutes 
of  “ three  to  four  weeks,”  taking  candidates  through  the 
course  in  this  time. 

The  work  of  R.  G.  Pardee. — Mention  should  also 
be  made  of  the  institute  work  in  New  York  conducted 
in  “the  fifties”  and  “sixties”  by  R.  G.  Pardee,  a  layman 
who  gave  himself  devotedly  and  with  great  effectiveness 
to  the  improvement  of  Sunday-school  teaching.  His 
work,  The  Sabbath  School  Index ,10 1869,  was  a  very  useful 
textbook  heartily  recommended  by  Dr.  Vincent.  He 
also  wrote  a  little  manual,  published  in  1853,  entitled 
The  Sunday  School  Worker  Assisted .n 

Slow  progress  up  to  1866. — Notwithstanding  the 
worthy  efforts  to  train  teachers  which  we  have  noted 
prior  to  1866  the  progress  was  slow.  Teacher- training 
developments  in  the  public-school  world  were  just  be¬ 
ginning  to  make  headway,  and  they  were  very  much 
slower  in  the  field  of  religious  education.  Despite  the 
earnestness  and  devotion  of  the  teachers  to  the  cause  of 
Bible  study  the  period  was  not  one  of  successful  Bible 
study.  Pupils  memorized  many  Bible  verses,  but  they 

9  J.  H.  Vincent — The  Sunday-School  Teachers’  Institute,  p.  12. 

10  Published  by  J.  C.  Garrigues  &  Co.,  Philadelphia. 

11  Published  by  the  New  York  Sunday-School  Union,  1853. 

138 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


were  not  taught  how  to  use  these  verses,  nor  what 
relation  these  messages  sustained  to  great  movements 
in  Bible  history  which  gave  Christianity  to  the  world. 

The  awakening. — The  next  generation  of  Sunday- 
school  leaders  determined  to  raise  up  a  company 
that  knew  the  Bible,  its  geography,  its  history,  and 
its  doctrinal  messages  as  well  as  many  helpful  verses. 
John  H.  Vincent  himself  had  a  passion  for  biblical 
geography,  having  as  a  pastor  fonned  “Palestine 
Clubs”  in  his  own  churches  and  elsewhere.  To  fix 
the  facts  in  one's  memory  some  of  the  lessons  were  put 
to  music.  The  students  memorized  by  singing  just  as 
pupils  in  the  public  schools  were  memorizing  some  of 
their  political  geography  lessons  by  putting  the  facts  to 
rime  and  music.  Museums  with  objects  from  Bible 
lands  were  recommended.  Traveling  museums  were  not 
uncommon,  and  churches  which  could  develop  such  for 
themselves  were  encouraged  to  do  so.  A  great  relief 
map  of  Jerusalem  and  its  environs,  now  standing  under 
a  permanent  roof  in  Ocean  Grove,  is  a  relic  of  this 
enthusiasm.  Chautauqua  has  another  one  of  those  maps 
which  is  even  more  famous.  The  forerunner  of  these 
was  a  relief  map  on  the  lawn  of  Dr.  Vincent’s  church 
when  he  was  pastor  at  Camp  town,  now  Irvington,  New 
Jersey. 

For  some  reason  the  enthusiasm  for  biblical  geography 
did  not  last  as  long  as  one  might  expect — perhaps  be¬ 
cause  only  a  really  good  biblical  student  can  make  the 
subject  thrilling.  The  teacher-training  textbooks  for 
1875  to  1910  give  large  place  to  it,  but  nevertheless  the 
subject  did  not  maintain  its  popularity  as  other  phases 
of  Bible  study  did.  The  study  of  biblical  passages  for 
expository  use  was  an  outstanding  passion  of  this  period. 
Clearly,  between  the  years  1873  and  1890  the  program 

139 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


of  Bible  study  recommended  by  the  International 
Lessons  was  immensely  popular. 

That  the  leaders  of  this  period  were  also  successful  in 
winning  converts  the  work  of  Dwight  L.  Moody,  an 
ardent  Sunday-school  man,  clearly  shows.  But  this 
period  emphasized  conversion  and  a  particular  program 
of  Bible  study  rather  than  conversion  and  nurture  in 
Christian  faith  and  practice.  The  Bible  study  was 
clearly  a  great  advance  over  the  study  of  catechism  and 
Bible  in  the  preceding  period,  but  the  ideals  were  not 
defined  sharply  enough  and  the  curriculum  was  not 
broad  enough  to  equip  a  student  for  the  skillful  per¬ 
formance  of  his  Christian  duties. 

AN  ERA  OE  GREAT  ADVANCE 

The  first  twenty  years  after  the  Civil  War  mark  one 
of  the  greatest  eras  of  progress  in  Sunday-school  his¬ 
tory.  We  have  already  noted  the  inauguration  of  the 
International  Uniform  Sunday-School  Lessons  in  1873 
which  so  wise  and  careful  a  student  of  Sunday-school 
progress  as  Jesse  Lyman  Hurlbut  has  declared  per¬ 
sonally  to  the  writer  to  be  “the  greatest  single  step  ever 
taken  by  the  Sunday  school.  ”  He  affirmed  further,  in 
reply  to  a  question,  that  there  was  no  doubt  but  that 
this  significant  step  was  made  possible  by  the  rising 
popular  interest  in  teacher  training.  It  was  a  great 
constructive  period.  The  people  were  aroused  to  feel 
the  importance  of  religious  education  for  young  and  old 
as  never  before,  and  in  the  light  of  public-school  expe¬ 
rience  they  knew  that  trained  teachers  were  a  necessity. 
John  H.  Vincent,  who  had  been  taken  out  of  the  pas¬ 
torate  and  had  been  selected  as  a  secretary  for  Sunday- 
school  promotion  by  his  denomination,  organized  a 
“normal  college”  in  1867.  John  F.  Goucher,  later 

140 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


president  of  Goucher  College,  received  the  first  diploma 
awarded  for  the  completion  of  this  course. 

In  brief,  the  course  covered  the  following  subjects: 
I.  The  Bible.  II.  Interpretation  of  the  Bible.  III. 
Contents  of  the  Bible.  IV.  How  to  Teach  the  Bible. 
In  the  beginning  outlines  were  prepared  upon  the  les¬ 
sons  and  required  readings  assigned,  but  no  textbooks 
were  written  and  the  churches  were  expected  to  secure 
lecturers  who  were  competent  to  present  the  material 
required  by  the  outlines.  So  difficult  was  it  for  classes 
to  arrange  for  these  required  lectures  that  Dr.  Vincent 
sought  for  a  place  where  those  who  had  read  the  pre¬ 
scribed  books  could  assemble  to  receive  the  prescribed 
lectures  and  planned  for  a  summer  assembly  where  they 
could  be  given.  Thus  the  origin  of  the  assembly  at  Lake 
Chautauqua  in  1874. 

That  the  movement  was  spreading  through  the  lead¬ 
ing  denominations  is  shown  by  the  following  preface  in 
the  Normal  Class  Manual ,  published  by  The  Bible  and 
Education  Society  of  Philadelphia.  The  Introduction 
says:  “This  book  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  National 
Baptist  Sunday-School  Convention  held  in  Cincinnati, 
November,  1872.  It  is  designed  to  meet  a  long-felt 
want  to  which  the  Convention  gave  its  most  earnest 
attention.”12  The  Preface  also  contains  the  following 
statement  by  outstanding  leaders  of  several  denomina¬ 
tions  : 

1'n  view  of  the  widespread  and  growing  interest  in  the 
training  of  Sunday-school  teachers,  the  undersigned 
Christian  workers,  who  have  given  the  subject  special 
study  and  acquired  experience  in  its  methods,  unite  in 
recommending  the  formation  of  normal  classes,  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  Sunday  schools  and  seminaries  of  leam- 

12  Normal  Class  Manual,  p.  4,  The  Bible  and  Education  Society,  Philadelphia. 
Used  by  permission. 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


mg  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  would  become  proficient 
Bible  teachers. 

We  also  agree  in  recommending  the  main  features  of 
the  subjoined  outline  of  elementary  study,  with  the 
understanding  that  such  modifications  may  be  made  in 
our  respective  Manuals  as  will  not  destroy  the  essential 
unity  of  the  plan. 

Warren  Randolf.  J.  H.  Vincent. 

H.  Clay  Trumbull.  J.  Bennett  Tyler.13 

The  Chautauqua  movement. — The  Chautauqua 

movement14  began  as  a  means  for  the  training  of  Sunday- 
school  teachers.  If  it  could  have  remained  permanently 
such  an  instrument,  the  cause  of  religious  education 
would  be  much  farther  advanced  to-day,  nearly  fifty 
years  after  the  launching  of  the  movement,  than  it  is. 
The  “ Assembly”  at  Lake  Chautauqua,  New  York,  was 
started  in  1874  by  Dr.  Vincent  and  Lewis  Miller,  a 
Sunday-school  superintendent,  primarily  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  enabling  students  who  were  unable  to  hear  the 
required  lectures  in  their  home  communities  to  make 
up  these  requirements  for  the  diploma  of  the  normal 
college.  For  the  first  three  years  it  confined  itself  largely 
to  this  purpose,  but  soon  the  program  was  broadened  to 
include  general  culture,  and  Chautauqua  became  a  kind 
of  “university  of  the  people.”  Dr.  Vincent  and  his  col¬ 
leagues  organized  the  Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scien¬ 
tific  Circle  in  1878.  Textbooks  not  only  on  Bible 
study  but  on  many  phases  of  culture  were  prepared  for 
popular  reading  and  study.  The  idea  was  to  bring  to 
all  classes  of  people,  in  simple,  condensed  form,  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  most  important  culture  of  the  past  and 
present. 

13  Normal  Class  Manual,  p.  4. 

14  Hurlbut — The  Story  of  Chautauqua,  p.  28.  G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons,  New  York, 
1921.  Used  by  permission. 


142 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


Little  Chautauquas  sprang  into  being  all  over  the 
country.  Reading  circles  to  study  the  course  in  the 
home  community  became  popular.  The  movement  has 
been  a  blessing  to  thousands,  and  if  the  cause  of  teacher 
training  suffered  as  a  consequence  of  the  broader  pro¬ 
gram,  no  one  will  blame  the  leaders  who  achieved  such 
beneficent  results  through  increasing  the  culture  of 
multitudes.  But  the  fact  remains  that  while  teacher¬ 
training  courses  have  always  been  given  during  the 
sessions  of  the  parent  Chautauqua,  this  assembly  gave 
up  its  chief  significance  to  the  Sunday-school  movement 
when  it  undertook  the  broader  program.  Perhaps  the 
result  would  have  been  different  if  John  H.  Vincent 
had  not  been  made  bishop  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  thereby  coming  into  duties  which  necessarily 
took  him  out  of  the  teacher-training  field.  But  the  fact 
remains  that  a  great  enterprise  originally  inaugurated 
for  the  training  of  Sunday-school  teachers  developed 
into  an  institution  of  great  power  and  benefit  to  the 
world  along  other  lines,  and  in  adopting  its  broader 
program  ceased  to  lead  the  movement  for  training 
teachers  of  religion. 

"  Success  and  failure. — The  historians  must  record  a 
popular  enthusiasm  for  teacher  training  between  the 
years  1867  and  1890.  The  articles  published  in  this 
period  indicate  that  many  felt  themselves  to  be  at  the 
beginning  of  a  great  new  day  in  religious  education. 
But  the  historian  must  also  record  that  the  new  day 
which  seemed  to  be  dawning  did  not  really  come.  As 
we  shall  see  in  a  later  chapter,  Dr.  Vincent  expected 
the  Christian  colleges  at  once  to  establish  chairs  for  the 
training  of  teachers  of  religion,  but  the  chairs  were  not 
established  to  any  great  extent  for  many  years.  He 
expected  training  classes  in  the  local  church  to  become 

143 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


universal.  Instead,  many  were  established  and  the 
movement  flourished  for  a  few  years  only  to  die  down 
and  to  degenerate  too  often  into  a  form  of  “teachers’ 
meetings”  for  the  study  of  next  Sunday’s  International 
Uniform  Lesson. 

Causes  of  failure. — Such  a  revival  of  interest  in 
teaching  could  not  fail  to  make  a  permanent  contribu¬ 
tion  to  civilization,  and  the  world  is  greatly  indebted 
to  those  who  launched  so  ambitious  an  enterprise  and 
who  kept  it  going  long  enough  to  show  its  possibilities. 
The  movement  was  not  only  handicapped  by  loss  of 
consecutive  leadership  and  by  a  dissipation  of  attention, 
but  also  because  the  educational  ideals  of  these  leaders 
were  not  adequate.  They  shared  the  popular  ideals  of 
their  day  and  worked  with  the  tools  and  curricula 
elements  which  had  popular  approval.  Culture  for  the 
sake  of  producing  a  well-informed,  high-minded  indi¬ 
vidual  was  the  goal  of  general  education  from  the  primary 
school  to  the  college  in  those  days.  The  only  cultural 
material  which  seemed  to  be  the  church’s  responsibility 
was  found  in  the  Bible.  The  unity  of  the  educational 
process  was  not  then  widely  recognized.  Psychology 
was  called  “mental  science,”  and  in  its  modern  form 
was  scarcely  known  until  near  the  close  of  the  last 
century.  Educators  really  thought  that  great  quantities 
of  information  could  be  crammed  into  a  young  mind 
and  then  be  drawn  out  years  later  “on  demand”  when¬ 
ever  the  emergency  should  arise.  And  if  by  chance 
these  “loads  of  learned  lumber”  were  never  used,  they 
would  still  have  served  the  useful  purpose  of  disciplining 
the  mind  by  cultivating  habits  of  hard  mental  effort. 

If  the  unity  of  the  educational  process  had  been  kept 
in  mind  then,  great  Sunday-school  teachers  would  never 
have  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Christian 

144 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 

Endeavor  and  Leagues  and  Unions  to  cultivate  the 
“expressional  side”  of  life  while  the  Sunday  school  was 
to  cram  the  mind  with  biblical  information. 

In  other  words,  these  great  leaders  were  handicapped 
by  the  defective  psychology  and  unsatisfactory  prevail¬ 
ing  educational  theories  of  their  day.  Given  the  passion 
and  ability  of  those  leaders  between  1870  and  1890, 
plus  the  educational  science  and  skill  of  the  year  1920, 
and  the  writer  believes  that  an  adequate  system  of 
church  schools  for  religious  instruction  might  have  been 
achieved  in  the  earlier  period.  But  it  was  not. 

UNREST  AND  EXPERIMENTATION 

The  years  between  1890  and  1910  were  not  years  of 
great  advance  in  the  evolution  of  teacher  training  except 
in  so  far  as  eras  of  unrest  and  experimentation  may  be 
thus  classified.  The  period  of  achievement  of  higher 
standards  must  follow  the  less  thrilling  but  none  the 
less  important  era  of  uncertainty,  discontent,  and  experi¬ 
mentation. 

Textbooks  of  1890-1910. — Between  the  years  just 
indicated  a  type  of  textbook  came  into  existence  which 
was  destined  to  become  a  “storm  center.”  These  books 
were  brief  manuals  dealing  with  the  Bible,  the  pupil, 
the  teacher,  and  the  school  in  as  condensed  a  form  as 
possible.  The  four  authors  whose  books  were  most  used 
were  Hurlbut,  Oliver,  Hamill,  and  Moninger.  In  some 
churches  teacher  training  took  the  form  of  a  “mass 
movement,”  whole  congregations  enrolling  for  study. 
Undoubtedly,  much  good  was  accomplished  where  a 
well-equipped  teacher  used  these  works  as  they  were  in¬ 
tended  to  be  used,  merely  as  outlines  to  be  supplemented 
by  research  and  lecturing.  But  in  the  main  they  were 
not  adequate  even  as  guides  to  the  teachers  of  classes. 

145 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


In  fact,  it  is  difficult  to  detect  in  what  respect  they  made 
much  of  an  advance  over  the  manuals  of  1875-1890, 
prepared  by  Vincent,  Boynton,  and  others.  In  both 
groups  of  textbooks  the  aim  was  to  present  the  informa¬ 
tion  in  convenient  form  so  that  it  might  be  mem¬ 
orized.  The  later  books  perfected  the  mnemonic  de¬ 
vices.  They  were  a  complete  success  as  aids  to  memory. 
They  represented  biblical  data  graphically  by  diagrams 
of  the  fingers  of  a  hand  or  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.  They 
eliminated  unnecessary  words,  so  that  examination  ques¬ 
tions  calling  for  a  characterization  of  periods  in  biblical 
history  could  be  answered  by  one  word  for  a  period. 

Undoubtedly  such  simplification  of  material  into  out¬ 
line  form  has  merit  if  the  outlines  are  accompanied  by 
sufficient  illustrative  materials  to  enable  the  students 
to  understand  how  to  use  the  information.  But  such 
was  not  the  case  with  these  books.  We  find  repeated 
in  teacher-training  textbooks  the  mistake  previously  dis¬ 
covered  in  the  use  of  the  catechism  and  Uniform  Lesson 
helps.  Originally  catechisms  were  but  suggestive  guides 
for  a  teacher;  later  they  became  the  total  curriculum 
material,  and  the  teacher  drilled  the  student  in  their 
memorization.  Originally  the  questions  in  the  lesson 
helps  on  the  Uniform  Lessons  were  guides  for  teachers 
who  supplemented  the  lesson  material  by  outside  reading. 
Later  they  became  the  sole  support  of  the  teacher,  who 
too  frequently  degenerated  into  a  drill  master. 

Dr.  Vincent  himself  originally,  as  we  have  noted,  did 
not  prepare  textbooks  but  outlines  for  the  normal  college, 
requiring  the  student  to  hear  lectures  based  upon  the 
outlines.  This  seems  to  have  been  the  general  plan  from 
1867  to  1875.  Then  textbooks  were  prepared  which 
elaborated  the  outlines  a  very  little  with  no  thought 
that  they  should  contain  all  the  curriculum  material  of 

146 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


the  course.  Later  textbooks  were  prepared  which 
simplified  the  outlines  and  put  them  into  convenient 
form  for  memorizing.  Certainly,  these  textbooks  were 
not  intended  to  constitute  all  of  the  curriculum  material 
required  for  a  diploma,  but  in  actual  practice  they  be¬ 
came  such  far  too  generally.  The  examinations  were 
based  upon  the  textbook,  and  the  student  memorized 
the  outlines.  It  was  relatively  easy  for  such  a  student 
to  pass  a  creditable  examination,  but  he  was  not  pre¬ 
pared  to  teach  because  of  such  memorization. 

First  standard  and  advanced  standard  courses. — 
The  growing  feeling  against  the  brief  outline  studies 
which  we  have  just  described  led  to  the  designation  of  a 
First  Standard  and  an  Advanced  Standard  Course  in 
1910.  The  First  Standard  was  defined  to  cover  ap¬ 
proximately  what  was  being  offered  by  the  manuals. 
The  Standard  called  for  fifty  lessons  divided  as  follows: 
Bible,  twenty;  Pupil,  seven;  Teacher,  seven;  School, 
seven;  and  nine  lessons  related  to  any  of  the  above. 
The  course  could  be  finished  in  one  year,  but  most 
classes  required  more  than  one.  A  great  effort  was  made 
to  create  and  popularize  a  new  course  of  one  hundred 
lessons  known  as  the  Advanced  Standard  Course 
divided  as  follows:  Bible,  forty;  Pupil,  ten;  Teacher, 
ten;  School,  ten;  Church,  ten;  Missions,  ten;  and  ten 
more  related  to  any  of  the  above  required  subjects.  This 
course  was  being  promoted  vigorously  by  some  agencies 
when  the  demand  for  a  reappraisal  came  in  1914,  but  it 
never  made  very  serious  inroads  into  the  popularity  of 
the  manuals  which  became  popularly  known  as  “First 
Standard”  manuals. 

Need  for  revision. — The  International  Uniform  Les¬ 
sons,  1873,  were  launched  on  a  flood  tide  of  teacher- train¬ 
ing  enthusiasm.  Undoubtedly,  this  condition  went  far 

147 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


toward  guaranteeing  the  success  of  the  new  venture. 
The  International  Graded  Lessons,  however,  in  1910, 
had  no  strong  teacher-training  current  to  carry  them 
along.  The  leading  promoters  of  these  lessons  and  a  few 
like  them  were  well  trained  and  studying  faithfully. 
They  had  also  succeeded  in  arousing  the  church  and  in 
convincing  the  people  that  the  curriculum  of  forty  years 
before  was  not  producing  the  desired  results.  This 
propaganda  had  spread  faster  than  the  leaders  antici¬ 
pated.  In  fact,  the  demand  for  a  completely  graded 
course  of  lessons  came  before  they  were  ready  for  it. 
They  had  not  outlined  the  lessons  and  they  had  not 
trained  the  teachers  before  the  clamor  for  graded  lessons 
became  general.  In  view  of  this  fact  the  success  of  the 
new  International  Graded  Lessons  was  remarkable. 
Nevertheless,  nothing  could  be  more  evident  than  the 
need  of  trained  teachers  when  the  Sunday  schools  were 
asking  for  lesson  materials  based  upon  the  newer 
psychology  and  the  newer  educational  theory. 

Training  courses  for  primary  teachers. — However, 
it  must  not  be  concluded  from  this  general  statement 
that  no  efforts  were  being  made  to  train  leaders.  The 
organization  of  the  School  of  Primary  Methods  at 
Asbury  Park,  New  Jersey,  1894,  and  the  brilliant  record 
of  continuous  service  rendered  by  this  school,  later  known 
as  the  New  Jersey  Summer  School  of  Methods,  indicates 
that  the  primary  workers  especially  were  attempting 
to  develop  an  adequate  training  program. 

The  following,  which  is  reproduced  from  Quarterly 
Bulletin  of  the  Primary  Department  of  the  International 
Sunday-School  Convention ,  January,  1900,  page  3!!.,  will 
show  how  one  department  of  the  great  Sunday-school 
organization  was  moving  forward  in  the  program  of 
training  its  teachers: 


148 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


Report  of  Central  Committee  on  Training  Course 

for  Primary  Teachers 

The  Need  Met. — At  the  International  Convention  held 
last  April  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  it  was  proposed  to  gratify 
the  long-felt  need  of  the  primary  teachers  for  a  special 
course  of  study  to  help  them  in  their  particular  work. 
It  was  felt  that  this  would  create  a  definite  standard 
among  primary  teachers  and  be  a  means  of  educating 
them  for  better  service.  The  proposal  met  with  the 
heartiest  approval,  and  the  working  out  of  the  plan  was 
committed  to  the  Central  Committee  of  the  International 
Primary  Department.  This  Central  Committee  met  in 
New  York  City,  November  25,  1899,  and  outlined  the 
plan  which  is  designated  as  “Course  No.  1.” 

The  Course. — It  was  the  desire  of  the  Committee  to 
present  an  entirely  new  course — one  which  should  have 
been  written  or  compiled  with  the  needs  of  the  primary 
teacher  in  view  at  the  time  of  writing.  This  was  obviously 
out  of  the  question,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  demand 
must  be  met  for  a  course  of  study  at  once.  Could  the 
Committee  have  secured  the  writing  or  compilation  of 
suitable  matter,  it  would  have  still  further  delayed  the 
work,  as  they  would  have  been  unwilling  to  have  com¬ 
mended  it  for  use  until  tried.  However,  it  is  our  hope  to 
have  such  a  course  in  the  future.  Therefore,  the  Com¬ 
mittee  turned  their  attention  to  the  books  already  avail¬ 
able,  and  made  selections  under  five  heads,  as  indicated 
in  the  outline.  In  outlining  the  course  they  kept  in  mind 
the  average  teacher,  the  necessity  for  a  simple  outline, 
and  the  cost  of  the  books. 

Training  Course  for  Primary  Teachers.  Course  No.  1 

outline 

I.  Bible  Study. — The  lessons  on  the  Bible  as  contained 

in  any  one  of  the  following  Normal  Manuals,  viz.: 

Hurlbut’s,  pages  1-69. 


149 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Legion  of  Honor,  First  and  Second  Series 
Pease’s,  First  and  Second  Year. 

Semelroth’s. 

Worden’s. 

Dunning’s. 

Twenty  questions  will  be  asked  on  this  Bible  study. 
Ten  questions  will  be  general,  and  ten  will  be  special 
questions  prepared  from  the  Manual  chosen  by  the 
student.  Holders  of  State  Normal  certificates  or  diplomas 
will  be  excused  from  these  twenty  questions. 

II.  Child  Study. — (i)  “The  Sunday  School  Teachers’ 
Normal  Course,”  First  Year,  by  George  W.  Pease. 

Study  pages  1 21-142. 

(2)  Read  “A  Study  of  Child  Nature,”  by  Elizabeth 
Harrison. 

Ten  questions  will  be  asked  based  upon  this  study. 

III.  Laws  of  Teaching. — (1)  “Normal  Courses,”  First 
Year,  by  George  W.  Pease. 

Study  pages  1 42-1 45. 

(2)  “The  Point  of  Contact  in  Teaching,”  by  Paterson 
Du  Bois. 

Read  the  whole  book. 

(3)  “Teaching  and  Teachers,”  by  H.  C.  Trumbull, 
'  D.D. 

Read  part  1,  chapters  1,  2,  3, — pages  1-102. 

Eight  questions  will  be  asked  based  upon  this  study. 

IV.  Methods  of  Teaching. — (1)  “Normal  Course,”  First 
Year,  by  George  W.  Pease. 

Study  Chapters  7,  8,  and  9 — pages  146-157. 

(2)  “Teaching  and  Teachers,”  by  H.  C.  Trumbull, 
D.D. 

Study  Chapter  4,  part  1,  pages  103-240. 

Seven  questions  will  be  asked  based  upon  this  study. 

V.  Methods  of  Work. — “Practical  Primary  Plans,”  by 

Israel  P.  Black. 

(1)  Study  Chapters  1,  14,  17 — Class  Organization, 
Grading  and  Assistants. 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


(2)  Study  Chapter  2 — Accommodations. 

(3)  Study  Chapters  5,  6 — The  Class  Program. 

(4)  Study  Chapters  15,  20 — Home  Co-operation. 

Five  questions  will  be  asked  based  upon  the  study  of 

these  chapters. 

Examination  and  Diploma. — Fifty  questions  will  com¬ 
prise  the  whole  examination.  When  applying  for  exam¬ 
ination  papers  the  student  must  indicate  which  special 
book  in  the  Bible  study  section  was  used,  that  the 
correct  set  of  questions  may  be  sent.  All  who  pass 
successfully  the  examination  of  Course  No.  1,  will 
receive  a  diploma;  this  will  entitle  the  holder  to  study 
for  the  seals  for  advanced  courses. 

Books  Needed  for  the  Training  Course 
Any  of  the  Normal  Outlines,  mentioned  in  Bible 


Study  Section.  Average  price  about .  $0.25 

“A  Study  of  Child  Nature,”  Elizabeth  Harrison. . .  1.00 

'‘Sunday  School  Teacher’s  Normal  Course,”  First 

Year,  by  George  W.  Pease . 25 

“The  Point  of  Contact  in  Teaching,”  Paterson 

Du  Bois . 40 

“Teaching  and  Teachers,”  H.  C.  Trumbull,  D.D.. .  1.00 

“Practical  Primary  Plans,”  Israel  P.  Black .  1.00 


This  course  was  promoted  zealously  by  primary 
workers  for  several  years,  but  the  leaders  of  the  move¬ 
ment  themselves  will  be  among  the  first  to  admit  that 
the  interest  in  teacher  training  at  this  time  was  in  no 
way  commensurate  with  the  need. 

Appraisal  of  standards  in  1914. — It  is  a  great  or¬ 
ganization  which  can  reform  itself  from  within.  The 
International  Sunday-School  Association  and  its  aux¬ 
iliaries  had  been  the  most  vigorous  promoters  of  the 
older  types  of  First  Standard  Course.  Thousands  had 
enrolled  and  actually  completed  these  courses  under 

151 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


their  leadership  within  recent  years.  But  at  the  Inter¬ 
national  Sunday-School  Convention  held  in  Chicago, 
1914,  the  chairman  of  their  Committee  on  Educa¬ 
tion,  Professor  Walter  S.  Athearn,  discharged  all  his 
batteries  against  the  type  of  course  which  the  Associa¬ 
tion  was  promoting  so  vigorously. 

He  analyzed  the  textbooks  in  minute  detail,  pointing 
out  how  one  book  discussed  the  subject  of  Appercep¬ 
tion”  in  thirteen  lines,  “memory”  in  three  lines,  “imag¬ 
ination”  in  sixteen,  the  will  in  four  and  a  half,  while 
another  gave  “imagination”  nine  lines,  “memory” 
twelve  lines,  and  “attention”  eighteen.  In  this  latter 
book  “the  principles  of  grading  were  given  in  their 
entirety  in  eight  lines.”15  No  answer  to  Dr.  Athearn ’s 
indictment  was  possible  except  to  say,  “Yes,  they  are 
unsatisfactory  according  to  modern  educational  stan¬ 
dards,  but  they  are  the  best  we  can  get  the  people  to 
use,  and  they  are  better  than  nothing.”  The  reply  to 
that  was  in  substance:  “We  deceive  ourselves.  We 
think  that  we  are  training  teachers  by  this  process  when 
in  reality  we  are  simply  doing  a  work  which  must  be 
done  over  again  if  the  church  ever  gets  down  to  the 
business  of  doing  real  school  work.” 

Revision  of  standards. — In  1915  the  Sunday-School 
Council  undertook  the  revision  of  teacher-training  stan¬ 
dards.  By  agreement  it  had  been  understood  that  the 
question  of  standards  for  use  in  the  local  church  and  the 
promotion  of  teacher  training  in  the  local  church  be¬ 
longed  to  the  denominations,  and  that  the  International 
Sunday-School  Association,  while  assisting  the  denom¬ 
inations  in  the  promotion  of  teacher  training,  would 
devote  the  greater  part  of  its  attention  to  the  promo- 

15  Religious  Education,  December,  1914,  p.  545.  Published  by  The  Religious 
Education  Association,  Chicago 


152 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


tion  of  the  community  aspects  of  religious  education, 
especially  community  training  schools.  The  denomina¬ 
tions  through  their  representatives  in  the  Council 
never  quite  conceded  to  the  International  the  right  to 
create  standards  for  the  community  training  schools. 
They  never  questioned  the  desirability  of  having  the 
International  and  auxiliary  associations  promote  com¬ 
munity  training  schools,  but  they  did  question  the 
right  to  create  standards,  since  these  schools  were  really 
training  teachers  and  officers  for  work  in  a  local  church. 
However,  in  actual  practice  the  Council  never  quite 
made  clear  its  policy  with  reference  to  community 
training  schools,  while  the  International  set  high  stand¬ 
ards  in  1914  and  maintained  them  in  such  schools  as 
sought  the  right  to  use  an  International  certificate  or 
diploma. 

But  in  the  matter  of  teacher-training  standards  for 
work  under  the  auspices  of  individual  churches  the 
Council  proceeded  to  thoroughly  revise  the  standards. 
In  the  first  place,  it  abolished  the  standards  set  up 
for  the  First  Standard  and  the  Advanced  Standard 
Courses,  stating  that  after  a  given  date16  there  should  be 
“only  one  Standard  Course  of  not  less  than  one  hundred 
and  twenty  units.”  A  unit  was  defined  as  “a  recitation 
period  of  not  less  than  forty-five  minutes  based  upon  a 
lesson  assignment  by  an  approved  author,  the  lesson 
assignment  to  require  a  minimum  of  one  hour  for  lesson 
preparation.” 

New  standards. — The  new  course  required  not  less 
than  one  hundred  and  twenty  lessons  and  the  allotment 
of  lessons  was  as  follows: 


w  Determined  by  the  denominations  individually;  several  set  January  1,  1917, 
as  the  date. 


153 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Year  I 

The  Pupil,  io  units. 

The  Teacher,  io  units. 

Teaching  Values  of  the 
Life  of  Christ,  io 
units. 

Organization  and  Ad¬ 
ministration  of  the 
Sunday  School,  io 
units. 


Year  II 

Teaching  Values  of 
Old  Testament,  io 
units. 

Training  of  the  Devo¬ 
tional  Life,  io  units. 

Teaching  Values  of 
New  Testament,  io 
units. 

The  Program  of  the 
Christian  religion, 
io  units. 


Year  III 

Specializ  a  t  i  o  n  in 
the  Methods  of 
a  particular  de- 
partment,  40 
units. 


It  will  be  noted  that  the  new  Standard  Course  was 
considerably  longer  than  the  Advanced  Standard  Course 
and  very  much  longer  than  the  First  Standard.  How¬ 
ever,  this  longer  course  was  made  more  usable  by  being 
divided  into  short  sections.  Textbooks  were  prepared 
especially  for  each  section.  These  textbooks  tried  to 
cover  only  a  small  portion  of  the  entire  field,  but  to  do 
so  with  enough  elaboration  to  guide  the  student  in  a  use 
of  the  principles  set  forth.  Bible-content  material  was 
practically  eliminated  from  the  course  as  outlined  on 
the  assumption  that  this  was  being  adequately  pre¬ 
sented  in  the  graded  lessons,  but  a  study  of  curriculum 
values  in  the  Bible  was  given  especial  consideration,  as 
the  following  subjects  will  show:  “Teaching  Values  in 
the  Life  of  Christ” — Year  I;  “Teaching  Values  in  the 
Old  Testament,”  “Teaching  Values  in  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,”  Year  II. 

The  purpose  of  the  creators  of  these  standards  was  to 
present  material  that  is  common  for  the  training  of  all 
Sunday-school  workers  in  the  first  two  years  with 
specialization  in  the  methods  of  a  particular  depart¬ 
ment,  including  observation  and  practice,  in  the  third 
year.  Several  syndicate  groups  were  formed  for  the 
preparation  of  textbooks  to  meet  the  Standards  of  the 

154 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


first  two  years,  but  the  leading  denominational  agencies 
formed  one  syndicate  for  the  publication  of  the  “spe¬ 
cialization”  books  of  the  third  year. 

Denominational  Courses. — The  Council  determined 
standards  but  did  not  outline  courses.  However,  the 
Teacher  Training  Committee  of  the  Council  did  un¬ 
officially  offer  some  outlines  to  publishers.  It  was 
understood  that  the  various  denominations  could  pre¬ 
pare  their  own  outlines  and  publish  their  own  textbooks 
as  long  as  the  main  features  of  the  standard  were  met. 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  cooperated  with  the  other 
denominations  in  the  preparation  of  standards,  and 
even  of  outlines,  but  in  the  preparation  of  textbooks 
these  two,  in  cooperation,  published  an  independent 
series.  In  this  series  they  have  attempted  to  build 
upon  the  curriculum  of  the  International  Graded  Lessons, 
Berean  Series,  up  to  and  including  the  twelfth  grade 
(17th  year).  Following  this  year  the  courses  were 
planned  so  as  to  prepare  the  students  for  definite  skill 
in  the  performance  of  their  Christian  tasks.  The  first 
year  of  this  course  offers  Life  in  the  Making ,  24  units; 
Learning  and  Teaching ,  24  units.  The  second  year  con¬ 
tains  four  short  courses:  The  Training  of  the  Devotional 
Life ,  12  units;  The  Organization  and  Administration  of  the 
Sunday  School ,  12  units;  The  Program  of  the  Christian 
Religion ,  12  units;  and  A  Methodist  Church  and  Its  Work , 
12  units.  In  the  third,  or  specialization,  year  the  syn¬ 
dicate  courses  will  be  used. 

MEANS  FOR  TEACHER  TRAINING 

The  prevailing  means  for  the  training  of  teachers  of 
religion  are: 

1.  Training  classes  in  the  local  church. 

i55 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


2.  Community  training  schools. 

3.  Training  by  correspondence. 

4.  Training  institutes. 

5.  Summer  training  schools. 

6.  Training  in  higher  institutions  of  learning. 

The  denominational  agencies  have  given  special  at¬ 
tention  to  1,  3,  4,  5,  6.  The  International  Association 
and  its  auxiliaries  have  devoted  the  greater  part  of  their 
attention  to  2,  4,  and  5,  although  such  State  associations 
as  that  of  Pennsylvania  have  been  active  in  the  promo¬ 
tion  of  “i.”  Out  of  130,000  students  enrolled  for  training 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  since  the  organization 
of  its  Teacher  Training  Department  in  1909,  at  least 
two  thirds  of  these  have  been  in  classes  conducted  by 
the  local  church.  Other  denominations  would  report  a 
similar  percentage.  In  fact,  a  program  of  training  in 
the  local  church  is  favored  by  all  of  the  agencies  for  the 
promotion  of  religious  education. 

The  community  training  school  movement  has  not 
yet  reached  the  stage  of  development  that  the  training 
class  system  in  the  local  church  has  reached.  Com¬ 
munity  projects  are  harder  to  get  under  way  and  to 
keep  going  than  projects  which  enlist  a  more  homo¬ 
geneous  constituency.  Nevertheless,  it  seems  to  be  clear 
that  there  is  great  need  for  a  nation-wide  chain  of  com¬ 
munity  training  schools  to  supplement  the  efforts  of 
the  individual  churches,  and  especially  to  train  a  con¬ 
stituency  of  parents  and  workers  who  will  support  the 
community  week-day  schools  of  religion.  And,  fortu¬ 
nately,  there  are  enough  community  training  schools 
which  have  done  successful  work  for  several  years  to 
warrant  our  considering  the  plan  an  assured  success 
instead  of  an  experiment.  The  City  Institute  for  Re- 

156 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


ligious  Teachers ,  Athearn,  is  one  of  the  few  books  on  the 
subject,  but  excellent  pamphlets  have  been  published 
about  “The  Malden  Plan,”  “The  Evanston  School,” 
and  others.  Saint  Louis,  Cleveland,  New  York,  and 
other  cities  have  conducted  these  schools  successfully 
for  several  years.17 

Training  by  correspondence. — Correspondence 
courses  for  the  training  of  religious  workers  have  not  yet 
been  developed  as  generally  as  one  might  expect,  con¬ 
sidering  the  popularity  of  the  method  as  promoted  by 
such  agencies  as  the  International  Correspondence 
School,  the  Moody  Bible  Institute,  and  State  normal 
and  agricultural  schools.  The  Board  of  Sunday  Schools 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  launched  such  an 
enterprise  in  1909,  and  published  the  textbooks  of 
the  Worker  and  Work  Series  especially  prepared  for 
these  courses.  Six  thousand  students  have  enrolled 
for  these  courses  since  1909,  and  the  results  in  the 
lives  of  the  students  have  more  than  justified  the 
enterprise.  To-day  courses  are  offered  by  this  agency 
not  only  for  teachers  and  superintendents  in  every 
department  of  the  Sunday  school  from  Cradle  Roll 
to  Adult,  but  also  for  general  superintendents  and 
for  supervisors  of  teaching,  of  missions,  of  worship  and 
evangelism,  of  recreation,  of  records,  and  of  finance. 
There  is  a  future  of  large  usefulness  in  this  field  for  any 
agency  which  has  the  funds  sufficient  to  advertise  widely 
and  to  employ  the  required  number  of  able  instructors. 
But  the  Methodists  have  never  had  large  funds  to  invest 
in  this  field.  The  Moody  Bible  Institute  offers  corres¬ 
pondence  courses  for  Sunday-school  teachers,  but  does 

17  Educational  Bulletin  numbers  6,  7,  8,  1918,  issued  by  International  Sunday- 
School  Association,  present  the  subject  of  standards  and  materials  for  these  schools. 
Bulletins  published  by  Boston  University  and  Northwestern  University  deal  with 
“The  Malden  Plan”  and  “The  Evanston  School.” 

157 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


very  little  in  the  field  of  Sunday  school  methods, 
specializing  particularly  on  Bible  study. 

Training  Institutes. — These  institutes  vary  in  length 
all  the  way  from  one  afternoon  to  a  period  lasting  three 
or  six  weeks.  Both  the  denominational  and  the  Inter¬ 
national  Association  agencies  use  the  institute  plan. 
On  the  whole,  within  the  last  ten  years  even  the  one 
and  two-day  institutes  have  been  very  helpful  in  giving 
to  workers  the  general  principles  underlying  modern 
work  in  religious  education  together  with  practical 
hints  for  the  applications  of  these  principles.  The  one- 
week  “Standard  Training  Schools”  as  developed  by  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  have  given  train¬ 
ing  of  a  very  high  order.  But  the  longer  Summer  Schools 
of  Religious  Education,  usually  held  for  about  ten  days, 
as  developed  by  all  the  agencies  indicated  above,  have 
been  the  most  successful  training  projects  yet  under¬ 
taken  in  this  field.  The  faculties  of  these  summer 
schools  are  made  up  of  professors  and  executives  of 
international  reputation  in  this  field.  The  student  is 
limited  to  a  certain  number  of  courses  and  is  required 
to  do  written  work  or  pass  an  examination  before  re¬ 
ceiving  credit  toward  the  certificate  awarded. 

New  Jersey  summer  school. — One  of  the  pioneers 
that  blazed  the  way  for  the  summer  schools  was  the 
New  Jersey  Summer  School,  founded  in  1895  by  E.  Morris 
Fergusson,  then  the  State  secretary  for  New  Jersey  and 
to-day  State  secretary  for  Massachusetts.  He  founded 
it  for  the  express  purpose  of  bringing  together  the 
workers  who  desired  better  lesson  materials  and  better 
methods.  If  one  will  compare  the  personnel  of  the 
Graded  Lessons  Conference  and  the  writers  of  the 
courses  of  the  International  Graded  Lessons  with  the 
names  of  those  most  zealous  in  promoting  the  school  at 

158 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 

Asbury  Park  in  the  years  1906-1914,  he  will  see  how 
closely  associated  these  groups  were  and  how  much  one 
contributed  to  the  other.  Among  the  names  common 
to  both  groups  are:  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge  Barnes,  Frances 
Danielson,  Marion  Thomas,  Josephine  L.  Baldwin, 
Milton  S.  Littlefield,  E.  Morris  Fergusson,  Sidney  A. 
Weston,  Ralph  E.  Diffendorfer,  and  Arlo  Ayres  Brown. 
Many  a  summer  school  owes  its  birth  to  the  success  of 
the  New  Jersey  Summer  School. 

Training  in  higher  institutions. — Since  a  later  chap¬ 
ter  will  deal  specifically  with  the  training  of  teachers  in 
higher  institutions  of  learning,  we  will  defer  considera¬ 
tion  of  the  subject  at  this  time. 

Achievement  in  promoting  teacher  training. — All 
agencies  promoting  Sunday-school  work  make  some 
attempt  to  stimulate  teacher  training.  And  yet  the  fact 
remains  that  no  local  church,  however  creditable  its 
record,  has  yet  given  enough  attention  to  training  to 
insure  competent  leadership  for  its  present  and  future 
needs.  And  no  general  agency,  for  the  promotion  of 
religious  education  has  ever  invested  either  time  or 
money  enough  in  this  movement  to  expect  success. 
Nevertheless,  some  agencies  have  worked  faithfully 
along  this  fine  and  with  encouraging  results. 

The  Pennsylvania  State  Sunday-School  Association 
reports  through  the  Rev.  Charles  A.  Oliver  that  since 
he  became  superintendent  of  the  teacher-training  work 
of  the  Association  in  February,  1901,  the  Association 
has  enrolled  163,348  students  and  has  awarded  53,716 
diplomas.  He  adds  the  following  comment:  “All  the 
enrolled  students  except  perhaps  four  or  five  hundred 
have  taken  a  first  standard  course.  With  a  few  excep¬ 
tions  those  taking  advanced  work  took  the  preliminary 
work  of  the  first  standard  course  and  followed  that  with 

159 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


advanced  work.  They  were  not  enrolled  again.  In  1921 
we  enrolled  8,020  new  students.  All  but  a  very  few 
registering  with  us  are  taking  a  first  standard  course, 
and  a  good  percentage  go  on  to  more  thorough  work 
for  seals.” 

The  Southern  Baptist  Convention  through  its  Sunday- 
School  Board  has  also  made  a  remarkable  record.  This 
agency  does  not  keep  a  record  of  students  enrolled  but 
of  awards  which  are  given  on  the  “incomplete  diploma 
plan.”  The  following  is  taken  from  its  report  for  the 
year  1921: 

Increase  by  Years 


Diplomas 

Red 

Seals 

Blue 

Seals 

Post 

Graduates 

Gold 

Seals 

Before  1914.  .  . 

. . . .  22,601 

2,512 

1,298 

•  •  • 

•  •  • 

1914 . 

•  •  •  •  4,559 

1,088 

625 

40 

0 

1915 . 

•  •  •  •  4,565 

1,077 

474 

210 

75 

1916 . 

.  . .  .  5,694 

1,144 

493 

146 

77 

1917 . 

i,34i 

676 

195 

95 

1918 . 

■  •  •  •  5,770 

1,320 

548 

189 

120 

1919 . 

.  .  .  .  6,440 

B455 

617 

154 

9i 

1920 . 

. . .  .  9,938 

2,259 

930 

330 

207 

1921 . 

. . .  .  17,011 

3,288 

B434 

5i7 

269 

Total . 

.  .  .  .  83,004 

15,484 

7,095 

1,781 

934 

Teacher  Training  Books  Completed  During  1921 


In  institutes  and  training  schools .  7,511 

In  schools  and  colleges .  1 1 ,745 

In  local  classes .  22,366 

By  individual  examinations .  5,962 

In  postgraduate  study .  2,167 


Total  Book  Awards,  1921 .  49,751 


The  Board  of  Sunday  Schools  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  organized  its  Department  of  Teacher 
Training  under  the  leadership  of  Wade  Crawford  Bar¬ 
clay  in  1909.  The  writer  succeeded  Dr.  Barclay  in  1914 
and  remained  through  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1921. 

160 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


Since  1909  this  agency  has  enrolled  in  classes  132,863 
students  of  whom  19,699  were  enrolled  in  1921.  Other 
agencies  are  also  meeting  with  great  success.  The  year 
1921  seems  to  have  closed  with  more  people  studying  to 
prepare  themselves  for  leadership  in  religious  education 
than  ever  before.  It  will  be  understood  that  while 
teacher  training  is  the  main  emphasis  in  the  movement 
which  we  have  described  in  this  chapter,  the  training 
of  administrative  officers  is  also  included  under  the 
general  title. 

SUMMARY 

We  have  noted  the  haphazard  efforts  to  train  teachers 
of  religion  prior  to  i860,  and  then  the  very  definite 
effort  to  keep  pace  with  the  movement  for  the  training 
of  public-school  teachers.  We  have  seen  how  a  new  era 
of  religious  training  seemed  to  dawn  between  1865  and 
1890.  The  enthusiasm  for  Bible  study  and  the  earnest 
efforts  of  the  International  Sunday-School  Association 
workers  seemed  certain  to  revolutionize  the  churches. 
But  we  were  compelled  to  note  that  this  era  of  enthu¬ 
siasm  and  great  beginnings  failed  to  measure  up  to 
expectations.  Then  we  noted  an  era  of  unrest  and 
experimentation  followed  by  the  introduction  of  Inter¬ 
national  Graded  Lessons  and  a  new  movement  for  the 
training  of  teachers. 

The  limitations  of  the  present  plans  and  materials  for 
the  training  of  officers  and  teachers  we  recognize. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  gratifying  to  note  that  more  people 
are  studying  to  prepare  themselves  for  teaching  religion 
than  ever  before  and  that  the  materials  used  are  more 
scientifically  organized  and  better  adapted  to  this 
purpose  than  ever  before.  It  would  seem  as  if  this  era 
of  training  were  just  at  the  dawn  instead  of  having 

161 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


passed  the  midday  of  achievement.  There  is  every 
reason  for  expecting  in  the  near  future  that  the  leading 
Christian  educators  of  many  communities  will  unite 
their  forces  in  community  training  programs,  while 
the  individual  churches  will  continue  to  arouse  and 
to  train  their  constituencies  for  better  service.  Also 
there  is  every  reason  to  expect  that  the  colleges  and 
universities  at  last  will  accept  as  one  of  their  tasks 
the  preparation  of  students  for  this  much-needed  form 
of  social  service.  If  these  movements  continue  to 
make  headway  the  dreams  of  Vincent,  Eggleston, 
Trumbull,  and  others  may  become  a  reality  in  the  first 
half  of  the  twentieth  century. 

Topics  for  discussion: 

1.  How  do  you  account  for  the  rise  of  normal  schools 

for  the  training  of  public-school  teachers  about 
the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century?  Analyze 
and  evaluate  the  factors  which  contributed  to 
this  rise. 

2.  How  much  progress  had  been  made  in  teacher 

training  for  public-school  service  prior  to  the 
Civil  War?  To  what  extent  had  this  influenced 
Sunday-school  teaching? 

3.  Compare  such  teacher- training  books  as,  The 

Teacher  Taught ,  The  Sunday-School  Teacher’s 
Guide. ,  and  The  Sabbath  School  Index  with 
textbooks  accredited  in  the  present  Standard 
Course.” 

4.  Compare  the  textbooks  prepared  by  Vincent, 

Boynton,  and  others  of  the  period  1870-1890 
with  those  prepared  by  Hurlbut,  Oliver,  Mon- 
inger,  and  Hamill,  1890-1910,  and  then  with 
those  of  the  present  “Standard  Course.” 

162 


TEACHER-TRAINING  MOVEMENT 


5.  What  was  the  permanent  value  of  the  great 

“ teachers’  meetings”  of  twenty  to  thirty  years 
ago? 

6.  Would  the  cause  of  religious  education  have  been 

advanced  if  the  Chautauqua  Movement  had 
confined  its  attention  to  the  training  of  teachers 
for  religious  education? 

7.  Why  did  the  impetus  for  teacher  training  that 

was  so  marked  from  1870  to  1890  not  continue 
to  gather  momentum  until  the  close  of  the 
period?  What  were  the  permanent  contribu¬ 
tions  to  the  materials  and  technique  of  teacher 
training  made  in  this  period? 

8.  What  are  the  merits  and  defects  of  the  present 

teacher-training  textbooks  which  are  most  com¬ 
monly  used? 

Brief  bibliography  for  special  references: 

Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States. 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston,  1919. 

(No  author  named)  The  Teacher  Taught.  American 
Sunday-School  Union,  1839. 

Kidder — The  Sunday  School  Teachers’  Guide.  Lane  & 
Tippett,  New  York,  1848. 

Pardee — The  Sabbath-School  Index.  J.  C.  Garrigues 
&  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1869. 

Inglis — The  Sabbath  School  and  Bible  Teaching .  Lane 
&  Scott,  New  York,  1850. 

Vincent — The  Sunday-School  Teachers’  Institution. 
Adams,  Blackmer,  and  Lyon,  Chicago,  1866. 

Vincent — The  Church  School  and  Normal  Guide.  Hunt 
&  Eaton,  New  York,  1889. 

Normal  Class  Manual ,  published  by  The  Bible  and 
Education  Society,  Philadelphia,  1873. 

163 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Hurlbut — The  Story  of  Chautauqua.  G.  P.  Putnam’s 
Sons,  New  York,  1921. 

Hurlbut — Revised  Normal  Lessons.  Revision  of  Out¬ 
line  Normal  Lessons ,  1885.  Eaton  &  Mains,  New 
York,  1907. 

Hurlbut — Teacher  Training  Lessons  for  the  Sunday 
School.  Eaton  &  Mains,  New  York,  1908. 

Oliver — Preparation  for  Teaching.  The  Westminster 
Press,  Philadelphia,  1908. 

McElfresh — The  Training  of  Sunday-School  Teachers 
and  Officers.  Eaton  &  Mains,  New  York,  1914. 

Weigle — The  Pupil  and  the  Teacher.  Copyright  by 
The  Lutheran  Publication  Society.  George  H.  Doran 
Company,  New  York,  1911. 

Athearn — The  Church  School.  The  Pilgrim  Press, 
Boston,  1911. 

Barclay-Brown  et  al. — Life  in  the  Making.  The 
Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York,  1917. 

New  Standard  Teacher -Training  Textbooks  as  used 
by  any  denomination. 


164 


CHAPTER  VII 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  PROMOTIONAL 
AGENCIES  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

It  is  not  enough  to  invent  or  create  an  instrument 
for  the  benefit  of  the  race;  some  one  must  promote 
the  use  of  the  instrument,  if  it  is  ever  to  be  effective. 

EARLIEST  PROMOTERS  OF  THE  MODERN  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

Robert  Raikes,  as  we  have  noted,  was  not  the  first 
even  in  his  own  day  to  use  a  Sunday  school  to  aid  the 
young  in  religion  and  morals.  But  he  was  the  first 
in  his  day  to  give  publicity  to  the  plan  and  to  seek  to 
promote  it.  He  first  gave  publicity  to  his  schools  in 
1783,  and  as  early  as  1785  the  Sunday-School  Society 
was  formed  for  the  promotion  of  Sunday  schools.  This 
society  carried  on  successful  work  promoting  Sunday 
schools  for  several  years  and  was  succeeded  by  The 
Sunday-School  Union,  formed  in  London,  1803.  This 
Union  has  had  a  long  career  of  successful  Sunday-school 
promotion,  including  in  its  work  improvements  in  lesson 
materials  and  methods,  aggressive  missionary  work,  and 
the  publishing  of  literature.1 

In  America  the  earliest  religious  schools  were  the 
community  day  schools,  in  which,  as  we  have  noted, 
the  religious  materials  constituted  so  large  a  part  of 
the  curriculum.  An  occasional  use  of  Sunday  sessions 
for  teaching  religion  to  the  young  has  also  been  noted, 
but  there  was  no  marked  movement  toward  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  Sunday  schools  until  after  the  War  for  American 

1  See  article  on  Sunday  Schools  in  England,  from  Robert  Raikes’  Onward, 
The  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  of  Religious  Education,  Volume  III. 
Published  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons,  New  York,  191S. 

165 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Independence  and  after  the  Raikes  plan  had  been  made 
known. 

Wesley  in  England  was  an  immediate  supporter  of 
Sunday  schools  as  soon  as  Robert  Raikes  gave  publicity 
to  his  plan.  He  saw  the  possibility  of  making  these 
schools  “nurseries  of  the  faith/’  and,  with  his  genius 
for  organization,  he  promoted  them  along  with  his 
“societies.”  In  1790  the*  Minutes  of  the  Methodist 
Conference  report  what  is  probably  the  first  official 
recognition  of  Sunday  schools  by  an  American  general 
church  organization.2 

We  have  already  noted  the  organization  in  December, 
1790,  of  the  first  society  in  America  for  the  promotion 
of  Sunday  schools,  the  slow  development  prior  to  the 
War  of  1812,  and  the  great  revival  of  interest  in  re¬ 
ligion  and  education  which  followed  the  termination  of 
this  war.  We  discussed  also  the  rise  of  city  unions  such 
as  those  in  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia.3 

American  Sunday-School  Union. — In  1824  these 
city  unions  were  merged  into  one  organization,  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union,  the  most  influential 
Sunday-school  organization  on  the  continent  for  ap¬ 
proximately  the  next  fifty  years.  Or  perhaps  it  would 
be  more  exact  to  say  that  the  Sunday-and-Adult 
School  Union  of  Philadelphia  developed  into  this  larger 
organization  with  the  other  city  unions  cooperating. 
America  can  never  repay  the  debt  which  it  owes  to  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union.  Founded  by  laymen, 
with  its  governing  board4  excluding  any  but  laymen, 
it  nevertheless  had  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  min¬ 
isters  who  were  most  vitally  interested  in  Sunday- 

2  See  Chapter  III,  p.  49. 

s  See  Chapter  III,  p.  50. 

4  Rice — The  Sunday-School  Movement  and  the  American  Sunday-School  Union, 
1817-1017,  p.  82.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union.  Used  by  permission. 

166 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


school  progress.5  And  it  pioneered  in  this  field  when 
most  of  the  denominations  were  hesitating  over  whether 
to  promote  the  use  of  Sunday  for  religious  instruction 
or  to  oppose  such  as  Sabbath  desecration. 

The  Union  prepared  lesson  books,  reading  libraries, 
and  other  Sunday-school  literature  as  required.  It 
financed  and  supervised  the  planting  of  new  schools  in 
the  West  and  wherever  there  was  the  greatest  need. 
In  many  places  where  the  Sunday-school  missionary 
founded  schools  and  aided  them  there  were  neither 
churches  nor  day  schools.  Such  missionaries  as  Stephen 
A.  Paxson,  and  others,  left  behind  them  a  record  of 
which  any  society  might  well  be  proud.  How  much  the 
new  Middle-Western  States  owed  to  these  brave  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  and  the  early  frontier  preachers 
can  never  be  estimated. 

The  Union  has  in  recent  years  confined  its  attention 
largely  to  the  establishment  of  mission  schools,  and 
to  the  publication  of  literature  for  small  schools.  While 
it  has  not  influenced  the  educational  policies  of  the 
Sunday-school  world  as  largely  since  1874  as  it  did  in 
the  first  fifty  years  of  its  existence,  it  is  to-day  a  strong, 
useful  agency  for  the  dissemination  of  Sunday-school 
literature  and  the  establishment  of  new  Sunday  schools 
in  rural  and  especially  in  neglected  sections  of  the 
country.  Its  annual  report  for  the  year  ended  Febru¬ 
ary  28,  1922,  shows  an  income  of  $545,116.64,  and  a 
total  expenditure  of  $576,813.90,  divided  as  follows: 
Publication  Department,  $161,312.29;  Missionary  De¬ 
partment,  $361,365.21;  General,  $54,136.40.  Excess  of 
expenses,  etc.,  over  income,  $3i,697-26.6 


5  The  executive  officials  have  been  clergymen. 

8  The  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Annual  Report  of  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union  (the  ninety-eighth  under  its  present  name),  1922,  p.  32. 

167 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


National  Sunday-school  conventions. — The  first 
“National  Sunday-school  convention/’7  so  called,  was 
held  in  1832,  and  grew  out  of  a  conference  held  in 
Philadelphia  during  the  anniversary  meeting  of  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union,  and  the  session  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  May 
23,  1832.  Here  the  members  of  the  conference  caught 
a  vision  of  the  possibilities  of  a  convention  which  should 
assemble  delegates  from  all  parts  of  America  for  the 
discussion  of  Sunday-school  problems.  They  issued  a 
call  for  such  a  convention  and  appointed  a  committee 
which  prepared  a  questionnaire  to  be  sent  to  Sunday- 
school  workers  all  over  the  land  and  to  form  the  basis 
for  the  discussions  of  the  conventions.  Three  hundred 
answers  to  this  questionnaire  were  received  and  the 
First  National  Convention  which  was  held  in  New 
York  city  in  the  Chatham  Street  Chapel,  October 
3,  4,  5,  1832,  was  a  very  successful  one.  Two  hundred 
twenty  delegates  were  present,  representing  fourteen  of 
the  twenty-four  States  and  four  Territories  of  the 
Union.  So  enthusiastic  were  the  delegates  over  the 
success  of  this  meeting  that  they  voted  to  call  another 
in  the  following  year.  But  it  came  too  soon  and  did 
not  attract  such  wide  attention.  The  Third  National 
Convention  was  not  held  until  February  22-24,  1859. 

The  war  interrupted  the  rising  tide  of  Sunday-school 
interest  and  the  next  national  convention  was  not  held 
until  April  28,  1869,  in  Newark,  New  Jersey.  Of  this 
meeting  the  editor  of  The  Sunday-School  Times  said: 
“Never  before  had  so  many  Sunday-school  leaders  of 
the  land  been  brought  face  to  face.  Taken  as  a  whole, 


7  Organized,  Sunday-School  Work  in  America,  1908-1911.  Official  Report  of 
the  Thirteenth  International  Sunday-School  Convention,  San  Francisco,  Cali¬ 
fornia,  1911,  pp.  1  iff. 


168 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


it  was  the  most  memorable  Sunday-school  gathering 
ever  assembled  in  the  United  States,  if  not  in  the  world. 
Tongues  of  fire  seemed  to  be  given  to  the  speakers. 
The  spirit  of  brotherly  love  and  union  prevailed.  It 
was  estimated  that  there  were  over  twenty-five  hundred 
visitors,  in  addition  to  the  five  hundred  twenty-six 
delegates,  in  attendance.”8 

The  Fifth  National  Convention,  held  at  Indianapolis, 
1872,  is  memorable  in  that  it  declared  in  favor  of  a  sys¬ 
tem  of  Uniform  Bible  Lessons  for  all  ages  in  the  Sunday 
school,  and  created  a  lesson  committee  that  was  inter¬ 
national  because  it  included  two  members  from  Canada. 

International  Sunday-School  Conventions. — The 
Sixth  National  was  also  the  First  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention  held  in  Baltimore,  May  n-13, 
1875.  Twenty  Canadian  representatives  participated  in 
its  proceedings.  From  that  time  on  International 
Sunday-School  Conventions  were  held  every  three 
years  up  to  and  including  the  Fourteenth  International 
Convention  in  Chicago  in  1914,  when  the  period  of 
convention  intervals  was  changed  to  four  years. 

Organization  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
Association. — For  many  years  the  international  Sun¬ 
day-school  movement  had  no  incorporated  organiza¬ 
tion.  It  was  guided  through  conventions,  and  the 
development  of  a  permanent  organization  was  slow. 
The  first  salaried  officer  was  a  statistical  secretary, 
E.  Payson  Porter,  elected  by  the  Convention  in  1872. 
His  salary  was  paid  for  a  time  by  the  Illinois  Sunday- 
School  Association,  later  the  Sunday-School  Times 
assisting.  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  Convention 
which  in  1907  became  the  incorporated  International 
Sunday-School  Association  was  organized  by  the  Con- 


8  (Organized  Sunday-School  Work  in  America,  iqo8  (Convention  Report),  p.  13. 

169 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


vention  of  1881.  B.  F.  Jacobs,  to  whom  the  Sunday- 
school  world  owes  so  much,  was  the  first  chairman  and 
continued  in  this  capacity  until  his  death  in  1902. 
The  first  official  organizer  for  the  international  field 
was  William  Reynolds,  of  Illinois,  elected  as  “Field 
Superintendent”  by  the  Convention  of  1887.  He  was 
assisted  from  time  to  time  by  such  men  as  Professor 
H.  M.  Hamill  and  others  who  were  loaned  by  State 
Associations.  In  the  Convention  of  1899  at  Atlanta, 
Marion  Lawrance,  of  Ohio,  was  elected  as  general 
secretary  and  the  association  began  to  build  up  a  staff 
of  full-time  paid  workers.  The  incorporation  came  in 
1007  through  a  charter  granted  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.9 

The  limitations  of  this  book  do  not  permit  a  detailed 
study  of  the  activities  of  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Association  and  of  the  tremendous  influence  of 
its  leaders  who  have  so  successfully  guided  this  organized 
interdenominational  Sunday-school  movement.  The 
narrative  of  this  influence  is  interwoven  with  that  of 
all  the  Sunday-school  activities  since  1872. 

Organized  State  Sunday-School  Associations. — 
Very  great  influence  has  been  wielded  by  the  State 
Sunday-school  Associations  which  have  been  auxiliary 
to  the  International  Sunday-School  Association  but 
independent  of  it  in  management.  In  fact,  the  inter¬ 
national  movement  is  clearly  the  outgrowth  of  the 
successful  State  developments.  The  first  wholly  self- 
managed,  self-perpetuating,  County  Sunday-school  Con¬ 
vention  was  that  organized  in  Scott  County,  Illinois, 
April  20,  1846,  by  Stephen  Paxson.  H.  Clay  Trumbull, 
another  pioneer  in  organization,  became  county  secre¬ 
tary  of  Hartford  County,  Connecticut  Convention, 

9  Encyclopedia  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Reiigious  Education . 

170 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


about  1856,  while  in  1858  New  Jersey  held  its  first 
State  Convention.  But  the  most  significant  record  for 
organizing  a  State  is  that  held  by  B.  F.  Jacobs,  William 
Reynolds,  Dwight  L.  Moody,  assisted  by  other  brilliant 
leaders,  who  set  out  to  organize  every  county  in  the 
State  of  Illinois  so  that  it  would  have  a  county  secre¬ 
tary  and  an  annual  county  convention.  In  1865  they 
had  one  hundred  and  two  counties  in  line. 

The  State  Associations  have  developed  until,  in¬ 
cluding  their  county  and  township  organizations,  they 
have  to-day  approximately  two  hundred  seventy-five 
paid  full-time  workers  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Some  conception  of  the  strength  of  this  work  may  be 
formed  by  considering  the  following  facts:  In  1921 
the  New  York  State  Sunday-School  Association  alone 
employed  five  full-time  staff  workers  with  six  steno¬ 
graphers  at  the  central  office  and  twenty  full-time 
division  workers  under  the  able  leadership  of  Joseph 
Clark,  general  superintendent.  In  Pennsylvania  eight 
State  workers  were  employed  on  a  budget  of  $60,570; 
in  addition  to  four  employed  by  the  Philadelphia 
Sunday-School  Association  with  its  annual  budget  of 
$20,000. 

These  auxiliary  associations  pay  a  small  percentage 
of  their  income  annually  to  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Association,  looking  to  the  latter  for  guidance 
in  the  formulation  of  standards  and  programs,  but 
otherwise  each  is  independent  of  the  authority  of  the 
other  except  for  considerable  interlocking  in  the 
executive  committees  of  the  International  and  of  the 
State  organizations.  Until  1920  these  associations, 
International  and  State,  maintained  their  work  inde¬ 
pendent  of  any  official  approval  by  any  of  the  large 
denominations  and  without  any  official  representation 

171 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


of  the  denominations  upon  their  executive  committees. 
The  idea  of  the  Sunday  school  as  a  layman’s  movement 
independent  of  any  denominational  authority  was  held 
through  all  these  years  by  the  majority  of  leaders 
within  the  conventions  and  the  executive  committees. 
Of  the  administrative  staff  of  the  International,  num¬ 
bering  twelve  in  1921,  all  were  laymen  with  but  one 
exception,  and  this  has  been  the  rule  throughout  its 
history.  On  the  other  hand,  while  the.  State  associa¬ 
tions  have  been  controlled  by  laymen,  many  State 
general  secretaries  have  been  clergymen. 

THE  world’s  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION 

The  World’s  Sunday-School  Association  began  as  a 
World’s  Sunday-School  Convention,  which  was  held  in 
London  in  1889.  The  convention  was  the  result  of 
conferences  and  a  desire  for  cooperation  between  a 
group  of  American  Sunday-school  leaders  active  in 
the  International  Sunday-School  Association  and  such 
British  Sunday-school  men  as  Sir  Francis  Flint  Belsey, 
the  Rev.  Carey  Bonner,  the  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Kinnaird, 
and  Sir  John  Kirk.  Prominent  in  the  American  group 
were:  B.  F.  Jacobs,  William  Reynolds,  Dr.  Duncan,  E. 
K.  Warren,  J.  FI.  Vincent,  Marion  Lawrance,  E.  Morris 
Fergusson,  and  Joseph  Clark. 

That  convention  was  made  up  chiefly  of  delegates 
from  Great  Britain  and  America.  The  American 
delegates  chartered  a  ship,  the  Bothnia,  for  the  over¬ 
seas  journey.  The  decision  to  extend  the  organized 
Sunday-school  work  to  India  was  the  chief  result  of 
the  convention. 

The  second  convention  was  held  in  Saint  Louis  in 
1893,  as  a  part  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
Convention.  Dr.  Phillips,  secretary  for  India,  was 

172 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


moved  there  to  make  a  plea  for  the  Sunday-school 
work  in  Japan.  Several  hundred  dollars  were  pledged 
for  this,  and  a  Japanese  worker,  a  Mr.  Ikehara,  was 
later  engaged  for  service  in  the  Empire. 

The  third  convention  was  also  held  in  London  in 
1898,  the  extension  of  the  Sunday-school  organization 
to  the  continent  of  Europe  being  the  chief  result  of  this 
convention.  In  1904  the  Fourth  World’s  Convention 
was  held  in  Jerusalem,  and  developed  a  great  passion 
for  the  extension  of  Sunday-school  work  in  mission 
fields.  In  1907  the  Fifth  World’s  Convention  assembled 
in  Rome.  En  route  to  Rome  many  of  the  delegates 
visited  cities  in  North  Africa  and  became  so  enthusi¬ 
astic  over  the  missionary  possibilities  in  that  part  of  the 
world  that  they  pledged  generous  support  to  Bishop 
Joseph  C.  Hartzell  if  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
would  undertake  work  in  that  field.  The  result  of  the 
Convention  was  that  the  missionary  vision  Of  the 
leaders  was  still  further  broadened  and  a  great  impetus 
given  to  a  world- wide  Sunday-school  program.  It  was 
at  Rome  that  the  convention  became  organized  as  a 
World’s  Sunday-School  Association. 

At  the  Sixth  World’s  Convention,  in  Washington, 
1910,  the  Association  definitely  undertook  a  program  of 
larger  executive  responsibility  by  electing  Mr.  Marion 
Lawrance  as  general  secretary  to  give  part  time  to  the 
World’s  Association  as  well  as  to  the  International 
Association.  The  Seventh  Convention,  held  in  Zurich, 
1913,  was  attended  by  2,609  delegates  including  221 
missionaries,  and  representing  51  countries  and  75  de¬ 
nominations.  It  was  at  this  convention  that  six  great 
commissions  reported  as  to  the  Sunday-school  condi¬ 
tions  and  needs  of  the  world. 

The  last  convention,  held  in  Tokyo,  1920,  was 

173 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


especially  significant  for  two  reasons:  first,  it  gave  to 
the  churches  of  Protestantism  in  Great  Britain,  Canada, 
the  United  States,  and  other  nations  a  unique  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  express  unitedly  their  ideal  of  a  Christian 
world  brotherhood  when  such  a  statement  was  greatly 
needed.  Second,  it  brought  inspiration  and  information 
on  Sunday-school  work  to  the  Far  East  in  a  powerful 
way.  Convention  delegates  spoke  not  only  in  Japan, 
China,  Korea,  and  the  Philippines,  but  some  of  them 
returned  home  by  way  of  Malaysia,  India,  and  Egypt 
in  order  to  make  whatever  contribution  they  could  to 
Sunday-school  work  in  those  countries. 

Program  and  influence  of  the  Association. — As  we 
should  expect  in  organizations  deriving  their  authority 
from  a  popular  convention  meeting  once  every  few 
years,  the  Executive  Committee  becomes  practically 
the  working  organization.  For  the  first  twenty-one 
years  the  main  business  of  this  Association  was  the 
holding  of  conventions,  but  in  1910,  at  the  Washington 
Convention,  being  impressed  with  the  urgency  of  the 
need  for  Sunday-school  work  in  various  parts  of  the 
world,  the  Association  undertook  the  financing  of 
Sunday-school  missionaries  in  distant  lands. 

Marion  Lawrance  and  Frank  L.  Brown. — Marion 
Lawrance  was  the  first  general  secretary  of  the  World’s 
Sunday-School  Association,  but  in  1910  he  asked  to 
have  Frank  L.  Brown  associated  with  him.  In  1914 
Mr.  Lawrance  resigned,  and  Mr.  Brown  remained  as 
general  secretary.  In  1921  Mr.  W.  C.  Pearce,  long  a 
conspicuous  leader  in  the  International  Association 
work,  became  an  associate  general  secretary.  Mr. 
Brown  was  a  layman  who  for  thirty-six  years  had  been 
the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  Bushwick 
Avenue  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of 

*74. 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


Brooklyn,  New  York.  He  was  a  chairman  of  a  com¬ 
mittee  which  in  18S6  founded  the  school  with  only 
eighty  members.  It  grew  to  a  membership  of  three 
thousand  five  hundred  in  1914,  and  is  to-day  one  of 
the  greatest  Sunday  schools  in  America,  not  only  in 
membership,  but  also  in  educational  efficiency.  His 
practical  Sunday-school  experience,  together  with  his 
executive  ability  and  rare  spirit,  made  him  a  very 
successful  leader.  His  distinguished  services  were 
terminated  by  death  in  192 2. 10  In  recording  the  work 
of  this  Association  one  should  not  fail  to  mention  such 
distinguished  American  laymen  as  the  late  E.  K. 
Warren,  Dr.  George  W.  Badey,  H.  J.  Heinz,  James 
W.  Kinnear,  and  the  late  president,  the  Hon.  John 
Wanamaker — men  who  by  their  breadth  of  vision  and 
generous  financial  contributions  have  done  so  much  for 
the  movement. 

Organization.11 — The  work  of  the  Association  between 
conventions  is  carried  on  by  an  Executive  Committee 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  members.  Sixty  of  these 
are  located  in  America,  and  sixty  in  various  countries. 
Of  the  sixty  in  America  twelve  are  appointed  by  the 
Foreign  Missions  Conference  of  North  America,  six  by 
the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denomina¬ 
tions,  and  six  by  the  International  Sunday-School 
Association.12  The  balance  are  additional  representative 
church  leaders  and  laymen.  The  sixty  members  in 
other  countries  are  nominated  by  the  various  Unions 

10  W.  G.  Landes,  formerly  General  Secretary  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Sunday- 
School  Association,  has  been  elected  to  succeed  the  late  Mr.  Frank  L.  Brown. 

u  The  writer  is  indebted  for  information  concerning  the  policies  and  program 
of  the  World’s  Sunday-School  Association  to  personal  letters  from  the  late  Mr. 
Frank  L.  Brown. 

12  The  method  of  selecting  the  last  twelve  will  be  changed  by  the  merger  of  the 
two  organizations  named  into  the  International  Sunday-School  Council  of  Reli¬ 
gious  Education. 


175 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


or  Associations  affiliated  with  the  World’s  Association. 
These  Unions  or  Associations  in  each  field  are  governed 
by  committees  representing  the  mission  and  church 
bodies  on  the  field. 

Since  1900  Sunday-School  Associations,  Unions,  or 
committees,  in  affiliation  with  the  World’s  Sunday- 
School  Association,  have  been  promoted  in  thirty- 
seven  countries  and  the  number  is  constantly  increasing. 
It  is  the  plan  of  the  World’s  Association  to  vitally  and, 
when  possible,  organically  relate  these  affiliated  Asso¬ 
ciations,  Unions,  or  committees  to  the  existing  missions 
and  church  organizations  in  each  field. 

Sunday-school  missionaries  or  specialists  supported 
by  the  Association  are  trained  and  equipped  in  the 
homeland  and  then  sent  to  the  field  and  placed  under 
the  direction  of  the  responsible  national  Sunday-school 
organization,  to  produce  literature,  train  leaders,  hold 
institutes,  and  promote  standards. 

In  some  fields  competent  Sunday-school  denomina¬ 
tional  specialists  are  loaned  to  the  interdenominational 
work  and  the  budget  is  furnished  by  the  World’s  Asso¬ 
ciation.  In  every  field  employed  denominational  Sun¬ 
day-school  men,  native  or  missionary,  work  in  close 
relationship  to  the  interdenominational  Sunday-school 
program  in  order  to  avoid  inefficiency,  duplication, 
and  waste. 

The  quadrennial  convention  is  now  incidental  to  the 
work  of  the  Association  which  aims  to  gird  the  whole 
world  with  a  chain  of  Sunday-school  organizations 
having  trained  secretaries  in  each  field,  in  order  to 
promote  continental  visitations  by  specialists,  to  develop 
in  each  field  Bible  lessons  and  Sunday-school  literature 
indigenous  to  the  field,  to  train  a  native  Sunday-school 
leadership  and  to  extend  the  Sunday  school  as  one  of 

176 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 

the  chief  factors  in  Christian  education,  church  member¬ 
ship,  world  evangelization,  and  world  brotherhood. 

THE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  ASSOCIATION 

Before  discussing  the  rise  of  denominational  Sunday- 
school  boards  let  us  consider  an  organization  which  has 
never  undertaken  large  executive  responsibilities,  but 
which  nevertheless  has  exerted  a  great  influence  upon 
religious  education  during  the  last  eighteen  years. 

In  1903  a  meeting  was  called  in  Chicago  for  the 
purpose  of  considering  the  condition  of  religious  edu¬ 
cation  in  the  United  States  and  the  best  means  of 
developing  this  vital  movement.  It  drew  to  its  sessions 
some  of  the  most  forward-looking  men  and  women  in 
the  church,  especially  those  who  had  a  burning  con¬ 
viction  concerning  the  importance  of  arousing  the 
church  to  a  better  appreciation  of  the  necessity  for 
religious  education. 

Since  then  the  Religious  Education  Association, 
which  was  organized  at  that  meeting,  or  the  Council 
of  Religious  Education,  a  part  of  the  Association,  has 
met  once  a  year  for  the  discussion  of  various  problems 
in  this  field.  While  this  organization  has  had  no  organic 
relation  to  any  church,  its  governing  board  has  always 
contained  a  majority  of  clergymen  who  are  conspicuous 
in  their  denominations.  These  men  have  not  feared 
being  known  as  radical  in  the  field  of  religious  educa¬ 
tion  and  have  exerted  themselves  in  the  task  of  in¬ 
vestigating  and  making  known  the  experiments  in  this 
field  and  the  factors  essential  to  success.  The  magazine, 
Religious  Education ,  published  by  the  Association,  has 
been  a  powerful  factor  in  molding  public  opinion. 

The  constitution  of  the  Religious  Education  Asso¬ 
ciation  declares  its  object  to  be:  “To  inspire  the 

177 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


educational  forces  of  our  country  with  the  religious 
ideal,  to  inspire  the  religious  forces  of  our  country  with 
the  educational  ideal,  and  to  keep  before  the  public 
mind  the  ideal  of  religious  education,  and  the  sense  of 
its  need  and  value.” 

The  scope  of  the  Association  will  be  noted  when 
we  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  at  its  meeting  at 
Rochester,  March,  1921,  the  convention  met  in  the 
following  sections: 

Directors  of  Religious  Education. 

Department  of  Universities  and  Colleges. 

Department  of  Bible  Teachers  in  Colleges. 

Department  of  Church  Schools. 

Department  of  Churches  and  Pastors. 

Department  of  Public  Schools. 

Department  of  Theological  Seminaries. 

Department  of  Community  Agencies. 

Influence  of  the  Religious  Education  Association. 

■ — It  is  yet  too  soon  to  adequately  estimate  the  influence 
of  the  Religious  Education  Association.  In  the  early 
years  of  its  organization  it  was  perhaps  the  most  potent 
single  factor  in  crystallizing  the  sentiment  in  favor  of 
better  methods  in  religious  education.  It  brought 
together  men  and  women  from  many  denominations, 
representing  many  theories  and  viewpoints  in  edu¬ 
cation,  but  all  agreeing  that  the  church  was  not  taking 
seriously  enough  her  task  of  religious  training  and 
not  utilizing  for  this  training  the  most  approved  edu¬ 
cational  materials  and  methods. 

In  addition  to  the  valuable  findings  of  its  several 
commissions,  what  this  Association  has  prompted  others 
to  do  will  be  perhaps  its  chief  glory.  However,  it  has 
not  only  started  forward  movements  but  has  kept  in 
the  forefront  of  the  general  movement  by  investigating 

178 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


and  publishing  the  results  of  its  investigations  of  any 
enterprise  which  seemed  to  be  most  significant. 

Henry  F.  Cope,  general  secretary  since  1907,  has 
written  many  stimulating  books  on  various  subjects  in 
this  field  and  has  been  a  very  helpful  factor  not  only 
in  the  success  of  his  organization  but  in  the  development 
of  better  methods  and  materials.  The  topic  of  its 
convention  in  1922,  “Week-Day  Religious  Instruction 
in  America,”  shows  to  what  extent  it  is  still  a  leader. 
The  subject  has  been  before  the  Association  repeatedly 
since  1915,  but  at  this  session  it  was  made  the  main 
theme,  and  the  meeting  proved  to  be  one  of  the  most 
helpful  in  the  history  of  the  Association. 

RISE  OE  DENOMINATIONAL  INTEREST 

The  rise  of  denominational  interest  in  Sunday-school 
work  since  1905  has  been  the  most  significant  feature 
in  the  history  of  religious  education  in  the  last  forty 
years.  If  the  writer  were  asked  to  indicate  three  out¬ 
standing  events  in  the  Sunday-school  history  of  America, 
he  would  name  the  organization  of  the  American  Sun¬ 
day-School  Union,  1824;  the  organization  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Lesson  Committee,  1872 ;  and  the  reorganization 
of  the  International  Sunday-School  Association  so  as 
to  provide  for  denominational  cooperation,  1921. 
Strangely  enough,  approximately  fifty  years  intervened 
between  each  event,  and,  as  we  should  expect,  each 
event  is  but  the  culmination  of  several  years  of  experi¬ 
mentation  and  zealous  promotion. 

INFLUENCE  OF  PESTALOZZI,  FROEBEL,  AND  HERBART 

The  influence  of  the  normal  schools  in  public  edu¬ 
cation  was  felt  by  the  Sunday-school  world  as  early  as 
i860,  but  the  public  schools  of  America  themselves 

179 


\ 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


did  not  really  apply  in  any  large  way  the  principles 
set  forth  by  Pestalozzi,  Froebel,  and  Herbart  until 
about  1890,  although  these  principles  were  known  to 
Americans  in  the  first  half  of  the  century  when  they 
were  being  worked  out  by  these  great  educational 
pioneers. 

The  writer  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  a  student  in 
the  practice  school  at  Normal,  Illinois,  when  Charles 
McMurray  and  other  Herbartionists  were  practicing 
their  theories.  Instead  of  the  older  type  of  “reader” 
we  read  real  literature,  such  as  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome , 
Macaulay,  in  the  sixth  grade,  and  Shakespearian  plays 
in  the  seventh  and  eighth.  Appeal  was  made  to  the 
interests  of  the  class  in  the  teaching  of  reading,  gram¬ 
mar,  geography,  and  other  subjects.  Pupils  were 
advanced  as  soon  as  they  were  competent  to  do  the 
work  in  a  higher  class  regardless  of  the  time  of  year 
when  this  discovery  was  made.  Study  could  be  done 
either  at  home  or  in  the  schoolroom.  Some  classes 
recited  out  of  doors  occasionally.  In  every  way  the 
student  was  stimulated  to  think  for  himself  and  to  act 
upon  his  own  initiative. 

Schools  with  such  discipline  are  common  to-day,  but 
in  the  early  nineties  they  were  pioneers  in  America.  A 
society  of  Herbartionists  was  formed  for  the  propaga¬ 
tion  of  these  educational  principles.  The  liberalizing 
of  the  curriculum  was  a  necessary  sequence  of  directing 
so  much  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  pupil. 

The  story  of  this  advance  in  public  school  methods 
belongs  in  another  history,  but  the  parallel  advance  in 
religious  educational  methods  must  be  noted  here. 
The  Sunday  school  did  not  require  as  much  time  to 
apply  the  modern  theories  after  they  were  used  in  the 
public  school  world  as  the  public  school  took  to  use 

180 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


them  after  they  were  first  promoted  by  Pestalozzi  and 
Froebel.  In  fact  as  soon  as  the  newer  viewpoint  and 
methods  had  been  accepted  in  leading  public  school 
circles  the  Sunday-school  workers  began  to  take  note 
and  to  plan  accordingly. 

Effect  of  new  principles  upon  the  curriculum. — 

The  curriculum  is  the  stronghold  of  the  conservatives. 
Perhaps  the  fact  that  so  much  of  curriculum  material 
has  been  selected  from  the  experience  of  the  past 
may  be  a  partial  explanation.  But,  in  any  event,  even 
after  thirty  years  of  emphasis  upon  preparing  the  pupil 
for  social  efficiency  by  fitting  the  curriculum  material 
to  his  immediate  needs  and  interests,  both  high  schools 
and  colleges  not  uncommonly  require  an  amount  of 
work  in  some  subjects  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  needs 
of  the  individual  and  of  the  society  in  which  he  is  to 
serve. 

It  is  not  unfair  nor  derogatory  to  their  organizations 
to  say  that  the  leaders  of  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Association  and  also  of  the  International  Lesson 
Committee  were  conservative  on  curriculum  matters 
between  1890  and  1914.  If  the  denominational  Sunday- 
school  agencies  had  been  strong  organizations  employ¬ 
ing  large  and  influential  staffs  between  the  years  of 
1890-1910,  they  might  also  have  been  found  on  the 
conservative  side.  But  the  denominations  were  just 
awaking  to  the  importance  of  religious  education  and 
to  its  possibilities  in  the  light  of  recent  educational 
practice.  Fortunately,  several  of  the  leading  editors 
were  demanding  a  new  day.  The  new  educational 
movements  appealed  to  denominational  workers  who 
had  no  precedents  to  which  they  were  attached.  The 
awakening  interest  in  better  educational  methods,  the 
splendid  creative  work  in  public  school  and  general 

181 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


education,  the  influence  of  pioneers  such  as  William 
Rainey  Harper,  George  Albert  Coe,  and  others  who 
helped  to  launch  the  Religious  Education  Association, 
the  widespread  discontent  over  inadequate  results  in 
Sunday  schools — all  these,  with  many  other  factors, 
inspired  the  churches  to  undertake  an  aggressive  cam¬ 
paign  for  Sunday-school  improvement. 

To  the  credit  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
Association,  let  it  be  said  that  this  body  kept  itself  in 
the  advance  through  the  conference  called  by  W.  N. 
Hartshorne  in  Boston,  1907,  and  the  instruction  of 
the  convention  to  the  lesson  committee  in  1908  to 
prepare  a  system  of  completely  graded  lessons.  But 
there  were  radical  differences  of  opinion  as  to  what 
curriculum  material  these  graded  lessons  should  con¬ 
tain.  “The  Bible  only”  had  been  the  prevailing  opinion 
since  1872,  but  the  failure  of  the  International  Uniform 
Lesson  System,  in  recent  years  at  least,  to  produce  a 
generation  which  knew  how  to  use  the  Bible  in  every¬ 
day  life  made  the  more  radical  elements  feel  that  other 
materials  in  proper  proportions  should  be  introduced. 
They  held  the  view  that,  while  the  Bible  is  the  great 
source  book  for  religious  education,  church  history, 
God’s  work  in  nature,  missionary  achievements,  and 
other  subjects  should  be  introduced  in  order  to  develop 
men  and  women  who  are  competent  to  do  their  work 
in  society. 

Had  conditions  been  reversed,  had  the  denomina¬ 
tional  societies  been  the  long-established  agencies  of 
Sunday-school  promotion,  they  probably  would  have 
defended  the  past  while  the  laymen  of  some  newly 
formed  society  would  have  been  the  radicals.  But 
the  fact  is  that  the  laymen,  aided  by  a  few  influential 
ministers,  were  in  power,  and  they  determined  to  hold 

182  . 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


to  the  principles  which  had  won  victory  for  them. 
Therefore  the  denominations  felt  that  they  must 
organize  and  promote  for  themselves  if  the  newer 
methods  were  to  have  a  chance  in  their  churches. 

%  X  / 

RISE  OF  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  COUNCIL  OF  EVANGELICAL 

DENOMINATIONS 

The  writer  is  not  criticizing  the  men  and  women  on 
either  side.  He  is  simply  saying  that  between  1908 
and  1914  a  “battle  royal”  was  on  in  the  Sunday-school 
world.  The  battle  was  for  principles  and  not  for  per¬ 
sonal  advantage.  Had  men  been  considering  their  own 
comfort  and  popularity,  the  outcome  would  have  been 
different.  They  felt  that  they  were  crusaders  battling 
for  the  faith,  and  battling  for  the  rights  of  childhood. 
The  spirit  of  the  controversy  was  to  a  remarkable 
extent  above  reproach.  Men  tried  to  be  fair  and  con¬ 
scientious  whether  winning  or  losing.  The  outcome  in 
curriculum  matters  was  the  International  Graded 
Lessons,  and  in  organization  a  new  society  for  the 
promotion  of  Sunday-school  work  known  as  the  Sunday- 
School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations,  or¬ 
ganized  in  1910.  This  new  organization  was  composed 
of  the  official  representatives  of  the  several  denomina¬ 
tional  agencies  for  Sunday-school  promotion,  the  editors 
and  publishers  being  at  this  time  the  strongly  pre¬ 
dominating  element. 

Reorganization  of  the  International  Lesson  Com¬ 
mittee. — After  some  unpleasant  antagonism  between 
the  International  Sunday-School  Association,  allied  with 
its  auxiliary  State  and  provincial  associations,  and  the 
Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations, 
allied  with  its  denominational  constituencies,  the  two 

183 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


groups  began  to  understand  each  other  better  and  to 
move  toward  a  common  program.  The  first  step  to¬ 
ward  this  was  the  reorganization  of  the  International 
Lesson  Committee  in  1914  making  a  lesson  committee 
of  three  sections — “a”  the  International  section  of 
eight  members,  formerly  the  entire  committee,  “b” 
the  Sunday-School  Council  section  of  eight  members, 
“c”  one  representative  for  each  denomination  having 
a  general  Sunday-school  curriculum  committee.  At 
the  session  of  the  committee,  December  29,  1920, 
this  third  section  was  composed  of  twenty  members. 
The  constitution  provides  that,  when  demanded,  the 
vote  must  be  by  sections  and  that  any  one  section 
may  veto  the  work  of  the  other  two,  but  this  provision 
has  never  yet  been  used  and  the  committee  acts  as 
one  body.  An  effort  was  made  on  the  floor  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Sunday-School  Convention  in  1914  to  instruct 
its  section  of  the  Lesson  Committee  to  stand  for  main¬ 
taining  a  uniform  lesson  in  some  form,  but  the  attempt 
failed.  The  sessions  of  the  committee  have  been 
characterized  by  many  differences  of  opinion  but  by 
great  brotherliness  and  complete  harmony  in  final 
recommendations. 

Denominational  agencies  quicken  interest  in  re¬ 
ligious  education. — The  new  Lesson  Committee  pointed 
to  a  day  when  the  Sunday-school  agencies  should  once 
more  be  under  one  common  leadership  to  supervise  the 
common  elements  of  their  programs.  While  families  in 
this  world  are  often  selfish,  and  thus  far  have  effectually 
blocked  any  large  success  in  communism,  they  seem  to 
be  the  most  effective  agencies  for  the  nurture  of  the 
young  that  society  knows.  Denominations  may  be 
quite  as  selfish  at  times  and  perhaps  not  quite  as  neces¬ 
sary  to  society  as  the  family,  nevertheless  it  must  be 

184 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


granted  that  they  have  been  very  effective  units  for 
Sunday-school  promotion. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  since  the  organization  of 
strong,  aggressive  denominational  agencies  for  the 
promotion  of  Sunday-school  work,  the  interest  in 
religious  education  has  moved  forward  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  However,  there  has  been  a  need  for  one 
body  to  supervise  the  promotional  elements  which 
are  common  to  all  of  the  denominations  as  well  as 
need  for  societies  with  influence  and  authority  enough 
to  reach  the  last  individual  church.  The  denomina¬ 
tional  organizations  can  do  the  latter,  but  an  inter¬ 
denominational  agency  is  required  to  do  the  former 
task. 

Necessity  for  united  effort  and  common  super¬ 
vision. — Sunday-school  methods  and  materials  were 
greatly  improved  between  the  years  1910  and  1920 
while  numerically  the  advance  was  far  greater  than 
in  any  other  decade  of  American  history.  New  move¬ 
ments,  such  as  that  for  Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools 
and  the  Week-Day  Church  Schools,  came  into  prom¬ 
inence.  The  necessity  for  common  effort  in  the  promo¬ 
tion  of  week-day  church  schools,  as  well  as  in  the 
preparation  of  teacher-training  materials  and  in  the 
supervision  of  community  training  schools,  became 
increasingly  evident.  Should  the  agency  for  common 
promotion  be  under  the  control  of  the  denominations 
acting  jointly,  or  be  under  a  body  independent  of 
denominational  control?  The  International  Sunday- 
School  Association  and  the  World’s  Sunday-School 
Association  prided  themselves  upon  their  independence, 
although  in  the  nature  of  the  case  the  members  of  their 
executive  boards  were  practically  all  of  them  mem¬ 
bers  of  some  denomination.  On  the  other  hand,  the 

185 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

denominations  were  just  beginning  to  recognize  the 
possibilities  of  religious  education  in  the  local  church 
as  well  as  the  necessity  for  it,  and  had  no  notion  of 
committing  this  promotion  to  agencies  entirely  inde¬ 
pendent  of  their  control. 

Reorganization  begun. — The  World’s  Sunday-School 
Association  reorganized  its  Executive  Committee  in 
1916  so  as  to  give  the  denominations  representation  to 
the  extent  of  fifty  per  cent  of  its  members.  However, 
there  were  still  many  who  believed  that  the  Inter¬ 
national  should  remain  independent.  In  1918  it  was 
evident  that  either  the  Sunday-School  Council,  hitherto 
an  advisory  body  only,  must  enlarge  its  scope  and 
build  up  an  organization  to  do  executive  work  or  else 
the  International  Sunday-School  Association  must 
reorganize  itself  so  as  to  be  officially  the  representative 
of  the  denominations.  For  several  years  these  two 
bodies  had  maintained  a  Joint  Committee  on  Standards. 
Each  had  also  maintained  a  Committee  on  Reference  and 
Counsel  which  had  held  numerous  conferences  together. 
Through  these  and  other  means,  both  organizations 
had  begun  to  understand  each  other  more  perfectly. 
In  1918  each  body  named  its  own  Committee  on 
Reference  and  Counsel  to  represent  it  on  a  joint 
committee  to  bring  about  a  reorganization  of  both 
agencies  with  the  view  of  uniting  upon  a  common 
program. 

In  1920  a  plan  for  reorganization  was  effected  in 
the  annual  meetings  of  the  executive  bodies  of  each 
organization.  This  plan  provided  that  fifty  per  cent 
of  the  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
International  Sunday-School  Association  should  be 
territorial  representatives,  selected  as  formerly  to 
represent  the  International  Sunday-School  Conven- 

186 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


tion  and  the  territorial,  State,  and  Provincial  Associa¬ 
tions,  while  fifty  per  cent  should  be  selected  as  official 
representatives  of  the  cooperating  denominations.  It 
was  also  provided  that  the  full-time  paid  workers  of 
the  International  Sunday-School  Association  and  its 
auxiliaries  should  be  admitted  to  the  membership  of 
the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical  Denomina¬ 
tions. 

However,  it  is  one  thing  to  perfect  an  organization 
upon  paper  and  quite  a  different  thing  to  carry  it  out.  In 
June,  1920,  both  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Sunday-School  Association  and  the  Sunday- 
School  Council  met  on  the  same  days  and  in  the  same 
place,  Buffalo,  New  York,  to  welcome  the  new  members 
in  each  group.  In  January  and  February,  1921,  the  reor¬ 
ganized  Council  and  the  reorganized  Executive  Commit¬ 
tee  of  the  International  held  their  annual  meetings.  It 
was  decided  here  that  two  steps  were  necessary  to  move 
toward  the  complete  union  of  the  two  bodies;  first 
that  the  auxiliary  associations  in  the  States  must  be 
helped  to  reorganize  and  then  to  develop  a  program  in 
common  with  the  denominations,  and,  second,  that 
one  common  Committee  on  Education  should  be 
created.  This  committee  was  duly  constituted,  assigned 
supervision  over  all  educational  matters,  and  asked  to 
report  for  approval  to  the  two  bodies  creating  them. 

This  Committee  on  Education  is  composed  of  repre¬ 
sentative  Sunday-school  officials  of  the  denominations 
and  of  the  International  Association  with  its  auxiliaries, 
professors  of  religious  education  and  Bible,  experts  in 
the  field  of  general  education,  and  public-school  leaders. 
The  committee  held  its  first  meeting  on  April  26,  27, 
28,  in  Buffalo  and  organized  as  follows:  Chairman , 
Walter  S.  Athearn;  Vice-Chairman ,  F.  Carl  Eiselen; 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Secretary ,  George  Platt  Knox;  Treasurer ,  Rufus  W. 
Miller;  Chairmen  of  Standing  Sub-Committees:  Luther 
A.  Weigle,  W.  W.  Charters,  W.  E.  Raffety,  Wade 
Crawford  Barclay,  John  W.  Shackford.  The  work  of 
the  new  Committee  on  Education  is  in  its  beginnings, 
and  the  two  organizations  which  created  the  Committee 
are  in  process  of  amalgamation,  but  it  is  the  belief  of 
those  who  are  close  to  the  developments  that  the  forces 
of  religious  education,  united  as  never  before,  will  soon 
be  able  to  give  America  the  constructive  leadership  in 
this  field  so  greatly  needed. 

Complete  merger. — The  most  recent  chapter  in  the 
history  of  these  two  international  agencies  for  Sunday- 
school  promotion  begins  with  the  action  taken  in  Chicago 
in  February,  1922,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Sunday-School 
Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations.  Here  the  Joint 
Committee  on  Reference  and  Counsel,  which  had  often 
been  given  the  task  of  reconciling  differences  between 
the  two  organizations,  presented  the  following  resolutions, 
which  were  unanimously  adopted: 

1.  The  reorganized  Executive  Committee  of  the  Inter¬ 
national  Sunday-School  Association,  based  on  the  agree¬ 
ment  of  cooperation  and  Exhibit  “A”  (January-February, 
1920)  is  the  merged  body  of  Territorial  and  Denomina¬ 
tional  forces  as  formerly  represented  by  the  International 
Sunday-School  Association  and  the  Sunday-School 
Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations. 

2.  This  merged  body  shall  be  called  The  International 
Sunday-School  Council  of  Religious  Education. 

3.  The  International  Sunday-School  Council  of  Re¬ 
ligious  Education  shall  appoint  a  Committee  on  Educa¬ 
tion  composed  of  not  more  than  sixty  members. 

4.  The  International  Sunday-School  Council  of  Re¬ 
ligious  Education  shall  set  up  groups  of  professional 
workers,  the  Chairman  of  each  of  which  shall  be  a  con- 

188 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


suiting  member  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
Council  of  Religious  Education. 

These  groups  shall  be  such  as  Children’s  Workers, 
Young  People’s  Workers,  Adult  Workers,  Field  Workers, 
Directors  of  Religious  Education,  Denominational 
Editors,  Denominational  Publishers,  etc. 

5.  We  recommend  that  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Sunday-School  Association  request  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  to  amend  the  Charter  by  changing  the 
name  “The  International  Sunday-School  Association,” 
to  “The  International  Sunday-School  Council  of  Re¬ 
ligious  Education.” 

6.  Pending  the  change  of  the  legal  name  of  the  organ¬ 
ization  by  Congressional  action,  we  recommend  that  the 
business  of  the  organization  shall  be  conducted  under 
the  new  name. 

7.  We  recommend  that  the  International  Executive 
Committee  be  requested  to  revise  its  By-Laws  in  har¬ 
mony  with  the  foregoing  provisions. 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the  International 
Sunday-School  Association,  which  was  legally  the 
International  Sunday-School  Association,  adopted  the 
same  recommendations  at  its  meeting  in  Chicago, 
February  14,  15,  1922,  and  as  soon  as  details  can  be 
perfected,  there  will  be  just  one  new  organization — The 
International  Sunday-School  Council  of  Religious  Edu¬ 
cation,  performing  its  functions  through  conventions, 
special  conference  groups,  an  Education  Committee  of 
“not  more  than  sixty,”  and  an  executive  body  which 
represents  officially  all  of  the  cooperating  denomi¬ 
nations  as  well  as  all  of  the  cooperating  territorial 
units.  The  Sixteenth  International  Sunday-School  Con¬ 
vention  approved  the  action  of  the  Executive  Committee 
on  June  22,  1922,  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  It  is 
expected  that  the  State  and  Provincial  Associations  as 

189 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


they  now  exist  will  modify  their  form  of  organization  so 
as  to  become  auxiliary  to  the  new  body. 

Achievements  of  the  Sunday-School  Council. — 
The  principal  services  rendered  to  the  cause  of  religious 
education  by  the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical 
Denominations,  which  merged  itself  into  the  new 
International  Sunday-School  Council  of  Religious  Edu¬ 
cation  after  a  career  of  twelve  years,  are  the  following: 

1.  The  bringing  about  of  a  fairly  clear  understanding 
of  their  aims  between  many  denominations  and  of  how 
far  in  religious  education  they  can  act  together  in  work¬ 
ing  out  a  common  program  for  the  nations  involved. 

2.  The  development  of  mutual  understanding  and 
close  friendship  on  the  part  of  denominational  Sunday- 
school  leaders  who  represent  communions  of  widely  dif¬ 
fering  viewpoints  in  theology  and  in  organization  for 
religious  work. 

3.  The  stimulation  to  greater  creative  activity  in  reli¬ 
gious  education  through  the  association  of  small  groups 
of  denominational  specialists  who  work  in  the  same 
field. 

4.  Marked  achievement  in  assisting  to  create  and 
promote  a  system  of  International  Graded  Lessons  and 
other  improvements  in  curriculum  materials. 

5.  The  creation  of  the  present  standards  of  teacher 
training  in  the  local  church. 

6.  The  creation  of  higher  standards  for  all  departments 
of  Sunday-school  activity  in  the  local  church. 

These  achievements  are  not  claimed  as  exclusively 
to  the  credit  of  the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evan¬ 
gelical  Denominations,  for  International  Association 
workers  rendered  great  assistance  both  in  the  crea¬ 
tion  and  also  in  the  promotion  of  higher  standards 
and  better  materials.  But  the  denominational  workers 


190 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


when  once  organized  felt  that  the  initiating  of  plans 
for  religious  education  in  the  local  church  belonged  to 
them,  and  they  exercised  this  prerogative  with  pains¬ 
taking  and  often  sacrificial  diligence. 

Achievements  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
Association. — So  much  detail  concerning  the  activities 
of  this  Association  has  been  given  that  a  summary  of 
achievements  is  unnecessary.  From  1872  to  1910  it 
was  clearly  in  the  ascendancy  as  a  leader,  the  denom¬ 
inations  gladly  working  through  this  organization  and 
its  auxiliaries  although  not  officially  related  to  it.  When 
the  great  rise  of  denominational  interest  came,  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  was  handicapped  by  some  inevitable  misunder¬ 
standings  and  conflicts  over  prerogatives.  But  the  rec¬ 
ord  of  the  Association  leaders  for  painstaking  effort  to 
find  the  right  road  to  more  perfect  service,  in  addition 
to  their  record  for  leading  and  assisting  in  creative  as 
well  as  promotional  work,  is  above  reproach.  They 
wielded  power  helpfully  when  it  was  undisputed,  and 
they  took  in  their  officially  appointed  denominational 
partners  most  graciously  when  that  action  seemed  to 
be  wise.  Both  groups  of  workers  were  honestly  seeking 
to  find  the  best  means  of  assisting  the  child,  the  youth, 
and  the  adult  to  realize  his  highest  possibilities  as  a 
citizen  of  the  kingdom  (or  family)  of  God. 

SUMMARY 

We  have  noted  in  this  chapter  the  rise  and  develop¬ 
ments  of  the  agencies  which  have  been  most  conspicu¬ 
ous  in  promoting  religious  education  for  Protestant 
children  in  the  United  States.  We  have  not  listed  all 
of  the  organizations  because  we  desired  to  concentrate 
attention  upon  a  few.  Each  of  the  agencies  noted  has 
played  a  very  powerful  and  helpful  role  in  the  develop- 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


ment  of  Christian  citizens  in  this  land  and  abroad. 
What  the  future  may  hold  for  any  one  of  them  is  un¬ 
certain.  They  have  made  a  new  day  of  educational 
advance  possible.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  each  one  will 
find  its  place  in  the  new  movements  and  continue  to 
render  highly  effective  service. 


Topics  for  discussion: 


1.  Are  national  organizations  necessary  for  the  pro¬ 

motion  of  religious  education  in  the  United 
States? 

2.  Why  were  the  churches,  most  of  them,a  so  slow 

to  assume  responsibility  for  the  promotion  of 
the  modern  Sunday  school? 

3.  Investigate  and  compare  the  missionary  work  of 

the  American  Sunday-School  Union  for  the 
first  quarter  century  of  its  history  with  its 
missionary  work  for  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century. 

4.  What  kind  of  reading  material  did  the  American 

Sunday-School  Union  send  out  in  the  first  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century?  Estimate  its  value 
in  that  pioneer  day. 

5.  Is  the  big  Sunday-school  convention  as  popular 

and  helpful  to-day  as  it  was  in  the  last  half  of 
the  nineteenth  century? 

6.  What  are  the  most  important  contributions  made 

by  the  International  Sunday-School  Associa¬ 
tion  to  the  cause  of  religious  education? 

7.  To  what  extent  is  a  World’s  Sunday-School  As¬ 

sociation  needed?  What  are  the  greatest 
accomplishments  of  this  association?  What 
are  its  plans  for  development  in  the  next  few 
years? 


192 


PROMOTIONAL  AGENCIES 


8.  In  what  ways  does  the  Religious  Education 

Association  serve  most  effectively  to-day? 

9.  Explain  the  rise  of  denominational  agencies  for 

Sunday-school  promotion. 

10.  Would  you  have  voted  for  the  reorganization  of 

the  Internationa]  Sunday-School  Association 
and  of  the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evan¬ 
gelical  Denominations  looking  toward  a  com¬ 
plete  merger  of  the  two  bodies? 

11.  How  much  can  a  national  Committee  on  Educa¬ 

tion  as  created  by  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Council  of  Religious  Education  reason¬ 
ably  be  expected  to  accomplish  in  the  next  ten 
years? 

Brief  bibliography  of  selected  references: 

Rice — The  Sunday-School  Movement  and  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union ,  1817-1917.  The  American 
Sunday-School  Union,  1917. 

Organized  Sunday-School  Work  in  America ,  1908-1911: 
Official  Report  of  the  Thirteenth  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  San  Francisco,  California,  1911. 
Official  Reports: 

International  Sunday-School  Conventions. 

World’s  Sunday-School  Association  Conventions. 
State  Sunday-School  Conventions. 

Religious  Education  Association  Conventions. 
Minutes  of  the  Annual  Meetings  of  the  Sunday-School 
Council  of  Evangelical  Denominations. 
Denominational  Boards  of  Sunday  Schools. 
Denominational  editors. 

Encyclopedia  of  Sunday-Schools  and  Religious  Education. 
Vols.  I— III.  Thos.  Nelson  and  Sons,  New  York, 

I9I5- 


193 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Periodicals: 

The  Church  School. 

Religious  Education. 

The  Sunday-School  Times. 

Leaflets  prepared  by  Sunday-School  Associations  and 
Denominational  Boards  of  Sunday  Schools  or 
Boards  of  Religious  Education. 


i 


194 


CHAPTER  VIII 


BEGINNINGS  OF  WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS 

INSTRUCTION 

For  many  years  Christian  workers  have  tried  to 
solve  the  problem  of  how  to  get  more  time  for  religious 
instruction  than  one  hour  on  Sunday.  Ideally  religious 
education  and  general  education  should  not  be  sep¬ 
arated.  Religious  education  provides  the  motives,  and 
some  of  the  information  which  the  teacher  of  public 
education  most  needs  if  he  is  to  develop  in  young 
lives  the  attitudes  of  reverence  for  sacred  things,  of 
appreciation  for  beauty  in  form  and  conduct,  and  of 
a  desire  to  help  one’s  comrades. 

If  the  term  “education”  comprehends  the  whole 
process  of  nurturing  a  life,  and  if  such  nurture  involves 
the  development  of  right  attitudes  as  well  as  the  acquir¬ 
ing  of  useful  information,  and  the  cultivation  of  skills, 
then  clearly  the  development  of  God-consciousness  and 
an  increasing  ability  to  do  God’s  will  cannot  properly 
be  left  out  of  the  educational  system  of  a  Christian 
nation. 

Few  in  America  desire  that  it  should  be  left  out. 
Even  those  whose  theories  of  a  mechanical  develop¬ 
ment  of  all  the  faculties  see  no  place  for  a  personal 
God  in  the  process,  recognize  that  it  is  difficult  to  pro¬ 
duce  a  socially  minded  citizen  without  giving  him  some 
motive  for  his  conduct  higher  than  that  of  pure  selfish¬ 
ness.  They  also  recognize  that,  historically,  faith  in 
God  has  supplied  this  adequate  motive  in  the  minds  of 
many  people.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  even 

i95 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  non-Christian  educator  would  be  glad  to  see  some 
form  of  instruction  which  would  stimulate  the  growth 
of  a  moral  dynamic  equivalent  to  Christian  faith. 

DIFFICULTIES  INHERENT  IN  PUBLIC-SCHOOL  SYSTEM 

The  trouble,  of  course,  lies  in  the  fact  that  religion 
being  one’s  conception  of  the  highest  good  in  life,  it  is 
impossible  to  secure  agreement  as  to  what  kind  of  re¬ 
ligion  shall  be  taught  in  a  nation  composed  of  people 
from  all  quarters  of  the  globe.  In  the  early  days  of 
America,  when  communities  were  homogeneous  racially 
and  religiously,  the  problem  was  simple.  Religious 
materials  were  used  as  a  means  in  general  education. 
In  mission  lands  the  Christian  boarding  schools  and 
day  schools  may  do  the  same  to-day  unless  there  is 
vigorous  opposition  from  some  quarter,  but  in  the 
average  American  community  it  is  impossible. 

This  nation  with  its  ideals  of  democracy  could  not 
commit  the  power  of  government  to  ignorant  people, 
nor  could  it  rely  upon  individual  churches,  rich  and 
poor,  to  educate  their  own  constituencies  as  their  de¬ 
sires  and  resources  might  permit.  A  democracy  must 
not  only  have  an  intelligent  citizenry,  but  it  must 
have  a  citizenry  with  common  ideals,  with  love  for 
each  other  and  for  country,  with  ability  to  do  their 
full  share  toward  helping  the  nation  to  realize  its  com¬ 
mon  ideals. 

It  was  with  reluctance  that  the  Christians  of  any 
church  gave  up  control  over  the  general  education  of 
their  children.  Those  who  did  this  willingly  did  so 
because  they  realized  that  there  was  no  other  way  to 
guarantee  the  development  of  a  great  free  republic. 
Other  churches  insisted  upon  withholding  cooperation 
from  the  public  schools.  Out  of  sheer  necessity,  the 

196 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


churches  of  America  were  compelled  to  find  some  way 
of  giving  religion  its  rightful  place  in  the  development 
of  child  life.  Thus  far  since  the  complete  separation 
between  State  education  and  religious  education,  the 
Sunday  school  has  been  the  most  outstanding  teaching 
institution  through  which  the  church  has  tried  to 
instruct  all  of  the  people. 

Time  schedules. — In  the  schools  of  Robert  Raikes, 
the  Sunday  school  had  five  hours  on  the  Lord’s  Day. 
In  the  Sunday  schools  promoted  in  America  by  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  the  time  schedule  was 
“from  six  o’clock  in  the  morning  until  ten;  and  from 
two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  till  six,  when  it  does  not 
interfere  with  public  worship.”1 

In  colonial  days  we  find  on  Sunday  frequently  a 
preaching  service  in  the  morning  and  a  teaching  service 
in  the  afternoon. 

However,  by  1840  it  was  common  to  give  the  Sunday 
school  not  more  than  an  hour  and  a  half,  while  to-day, 
very  many  schools  have  only  one  hour  for  worship, 
instruction,  and  expression  combined. 

Since  1900  many  experiments  have  been  undertaken 
in  order  to  secure  more  time  for  religious  instruction 
and  to  secure  some  kind  of  correlation  with  the  public 
school.  In  New  York  city  some  years  ago  the  clergy, 
including  Protestants,  Catholics,  and  Jews,  tried  to 
agree  to  request  the  public-school  authorities  to  dismiss 
the  pupils  early  on  a  particular  afternoon  so  that  they 
could  go  to  their  churches  for  religious  instruction. 
In  fact,  for  years  the  Catholics  and  Jews  have  had 
public-school  children  go  to  their  church  schools  for 
religious  instruction  after  public  school  hours.  Such  a 

1  Wardle — History  of  the  Sunday-School  Movement  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  p.  52.  Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York,  19x8.  Used  by  permission. 

197 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


plan  might  have  become  general  fifteen  years  ago  if 
the  Protestant  churches  had  possessed  the  necessary 
teaching  force  and  equipment  to  care  for  the  pupils. 

Another  experiment  which  was  receiving  considerable 
attention  in  1910  to  1914  was  the  combined  preaching¬ 
teaching  service.  In  this  the  pupils  went  directly  to 
their  departments  and  classes  for  study,  then  into  the 
service  of  public  worship,  and  then  back  to  class.  Or 
there  might  be  two  periods  of  class  work  before  the 
service  of  public  worship. 

A  few  churches  may  still  be  following  such  a  plan, 
but  most  of  those  that  made  the  experiment  have 
abandoned  the  scheme.  The  agencies  for  the  promo¬ 
tion  of  religious  education  are  not  promoting  this 
combined  service  for  the  simple  reason  that  they  believe 
that  there  are  better  methods  of  securing  additional 
time. 

Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools. — Approximately 
twenty  years  ago  Robert  G.  Boville,  in  New  York  city 
(1901),  and  H.  R.  Vaughn,  in  Truax  Prairie,  Wisconsin 
(1900),  inaugurated  types  of  Vacation  Bible  Schools. 
The  plans  were  similar  in  principle  but  different  in 
important  details.  The  underlying  principle  was  to  use 
vacation  time  for  a  period  of  from  ten  days  to  six 
weeks  for  school  work  in  the  field  of  religious  instruc¬ 
tion.  Bible  stories  were  given  a  prominent  place  in  the 
curriculum  and  in  order  to  emphasize  the  play  element, 
music,  hammock  weaving  or  sewing,  and  other  expres- 
sional  forms  of  work  received  a  relatively  large  amount 
of  attention  in  the  schools  of  the  East.  The  average 
term  in  the  East  was  five  weeks;  in  the  West  the  schools 
were  usually  of  short  duration  and  practically  elim¬ 
inated  all  activities  which  did  not  have  a  decided 
bearing  on  Bible  instruction. 

198 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


The  Federal  Council  of  Churches  of  New  York 
promoted  these  schools  at  first  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Baptist  City  Missionary  Society.  Later  the 
Presbyterian,  Methodist,  and  other  denominations  put 
their  promotion  agencies  back  of  the  movement. 

In  1911  the  movement  under  the  leadership  of  Dr. 
Boville  was  incorporated  as  the  International  Associa¬ 
tion  of  Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools,  and  in  1921 
this  Association  was  reorganized  so  as  to  give  the 
denominations  official  representation  on  the  Board  of 
Directors.  How  rapidly  the  movement  has  spread 
may  be  noted  by  the  fact  that  in  19 11  the  Association 
reported  102  schools,  509  teachers,  and  26,886  pupils, 
with  an  estimated  expenditure  of  $26,578.99.  The 
work  was  then  confined  principally  to  four  cities  of 
the  East.  But  by  1921  the  movement  had  spread  into 
many  communities  all  over  the  country,  and  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  reported  2,534  schools,  15,555  teachers,  and 
270,000  children  with  an  estimated  expenditure  of 
$270,000. 

Typical  schedule. — The  following  is  a  typical  school 
schedule  as  given  in  a  bulletin  of  the  Association  (1922 
edition)  entitled  “Facts  for  all  Lovers  of  Little  Chil¬ 
dren”: 

The  Schedule 


FIRST  PERIOD 

8 130 — Preparation  and  visita¬ 
tion  by  staff. 

9:00 — Doors  open  and  registra¬ 
tion. 

SECOND  PERIOD 

9:15 — Opening  worship,  all 

present. 

Hymn. 

Psalm  or  other  portion, 
repeated  in  concert. 


Lord’s  Prayer — repeated 
or  sung. 

Kindergarten  goes  out. 

Health,  Habit  or  Patri¬ 
otic  Talk. 

Thank-offering  for  Exten¬ 
sion. 

Bible  Memory  Work. 

9.40 — Musical  Period. 

Vocal  and  breathing  exer¬ 
cises. 


199 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Singing  lesson. 
Calisthenics  with  music. 

10:05 — Bible  lessons. 

Told  as  story  by  the 
teacher,  or 

Represented  by  children, 
or 

Taught  with  sand  table,  or 
Given  with  stereopticon. 

THIRD  PERIOD 

10:30 — Expressional  Activities. 

Simple  dramatization  of 
Bible  stories. 

Manual  work  and  play 
in  sections. 

H  ammock-making , 
Weaving. 

Raffia  work,  Basketry, 
Sewing. 

Bible  Hand  Work. 


Doing  something  for 
others,  such  as  Red 
Cross  work. 

Work  for  Children's  Hos¬ 
pitals. 

First  Aid  and  Hygiene. 

1 1 :25 — Closing  exercises — School 
re-assembles. 

Daily  salute  to  flags. 

See  order  in  manual. 

“America"  or  Hymn. 

Children’s  Benediction. 

Recessional  March. 

AFTERNOON — TWO  HOURS 

2 :30 — Open  air  games  organized 
and  directed. 

Excursions. 

Visitation  of  homes. 

Weekly  Conference,  Mon¬ 
day. 

Mother’s  Meetings. 


The  Vaughn  type. — Dr.  Vaughn  has  never  organized 
an  association  for  the  promotion  of  the  schools  that 
follow  his  plans,  but  the  work  in  Wisconsin  has 

developed  conspicuously  under  his  leadership,  and 
some  of  the  leading  denominations  are  inclined  to 
favor  his  emphasis  upon  religious  instruction  to 

the  exclusion  of  some  of  the  recreational  features 
used  in  the  East.  The  Vacation  Religious  Day 

School ,  written  by  Hazel  Straight  Stafford,  who 

for  several  years  taught  in  schools  under  Dr. 
Vaughn’s  supervision,  indicates  clearly  the  curriculum 
material  and  general  plans  used  in  the  Vaughn  type 
of  school. 

Growing  movement. — The  movement  is  growing 
rapidly,  and  has  already  made  a  substantial  contri¬ 
bution  to  general  interest  and  specific  technique  in 
religious  education.  Its  program  is  much  easier  to 
carry  out  than  that  of  the  week-day  church  school, 

200 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


but  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  within  the 
next  few  years  it  will  become  an  integral  part  of  an 
all-the-year  week-day  church-school  program,  and  will 
likewise  be  correlated  with  the  Sunday  program  of  the 
church  school. 

EXPERIMENTS  OF  WEEK-DAY  INSTRUCTION 

Several  significant  experiments  in  week-day  religious 
education  have  been  made. 

North  Dakota  plan  for  high  school  credit. — In 
1911  Sunday-school  workers  were  thrilled  by  the  an¬ 
nouncement  of  the  North  Dakota  Plan  for  High  School 
Credit  in  Bible  Study.  Through  the  influence  of  Vernon 
P.  Squires,  a  professor  in  the  University  of  North 
Dakota,  the  State  Board  of  Education  prepared  a 
syllabus  and  authorized  that  a  certain  limited  amount 
of  high-school  credit  (one-half  unit)  should  be  given  to 
any  one  passing  an  examination  on  the  historical  and 
literary  facts  of  the  Bible  indicated  in  the  syllabus.2 
The  work  could  be  taken  in  the  Sunday  school  or  out¬ 
side  of  it  under  carefully  defined  conditions,  and  credit 
would  be  awarded  upon  the  passing  of  an  examination 
conducted  by  the  State. 

This  seemed  to  the  Sunday-school  workers  to  be  clear 
proof  that  the  States  were  beginning  to  recognize  not 
only  the  importance  of  biblical  and  other  religious 
training,  but  the  ability  of  the  Sunday  school  to  teach 
the  necessary  religious  materials.  It  also  pointed  out 
a  way  in  which  church  and  state  might  cooperate  in 
school  work  without  encroaching  upon  the  rights  of 
each  other.  Thus  far  no  serious  difficulty  in  the  admin¬ 
istration  of  the  plan  has  arisen. 


*  Wood — School  and  College  Credit  for  Outside  Bible  Study ,  pp.  66ff. 

201 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Professor  Squires  and  his  helpers  deserve  great 
credit  as  pioneers.  The  scheme  in  itself  was  not  so 
significant  as  some  supposed,  but  it  was  a  beginning 
along  the  right  line  and  started  many  people  to  think¬ 
ing,  trying  to  invent  new  plans. 

Colorado  plan. — In  September,  1910,  Dr.  D.  D. 
Forward,3  a  Baptist  pastor  in  Greeley,  Colorado,  sug¬ 
gested  to  the  authorities  of  the  State  Teachers  College, 
located  in  that  city,  that  if  they  would  credit  his  work 
he  would  teach  a  class  in  Bible  in  his  own  church.  The 
plan  was  accepted  and  in  September,  1911,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  fifty  students  elected  the  course  of  Bible 
Study  on  Jesus,  sixty  of  this  number  being  members  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.4  The  popularity  of  the  plan 
led  to  its  extension  so  as  to  include  high-school  credit, 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  through  the  influence 
of  Colorado  Sunday-School  Association  to  standardize 
the  requirements  for  giving  high-school  credit  to  Bible 
study  taken  in  the  Sunday  school.  Catholics  and 
Protestants  united  in  formulating  the  standards,  and 
many  classes  began  to  take  work  for  credit.  This 
experiment  aroused  great  interest  in  some  Sunday- 
school  circles.  The  International  Sunday-School  Asso¬ 
ciation  created  a  commission  to  investigate  and  promote 
this  work,  while  several  State  Associations  appointed 
committees  to  try  to  put  either  the  Colorado  plan  or 
a  modification  of  it  into  operation  immediately  in  their 
States.  Indiana,  Kansas,  and  Washington  did  start 
such  a  movement,  but  the  commission  of  the  Interna¬ 
tional  made  fit  tie  headway  and  finally  disbanded. 

Two  features  worked  against  the  success  of  the  plan. 


3  Teacher's  Handbook  of  the  Colorado  Plan  of  Bible  Study  for  Colleges  and  High 
Schools,  p.  3.  Printed  by  The  State  Sunday-School  Association  of  Colorado. 

4  Wood — School  and  College  Credit  for  Outside  Bible  Study,  pp.  43,  66 fL 

202 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


In  the  first  place,  as  the  writer  pointed  out  in  the 
commission,  the  plan  provided  for  credit  in  Bible  study 
only,  whereas  most  of  the  leading  denominations  had 
introduced  considerable  extra-biblical  material  into 
their  regular  Sunday-school  curricula  for  high-school 
students.  In  the  International  Graded  Lessons  as  used 
by  these  denominations  the  pupils  with  ages  from 
fourteen  to  seventeen  inclusive,  grades  9,  10,  n,  and 
12  of  the  high  school,  were  studying  not  only  Bible 
heroes  with  especial  emphasis  upon  the  life  of  Jesus, 
but  also  church  history  heroes,  heroes  of  modern  mis¬ 
sions,  church  administration,  and  vocational  problems. 
In  order  to  cooperate  with  the  proposed  movement  for 
high-school  credit,  these  churches  would  have  been 
required  to  displace  all  of  their  extra-biblical  material 
in  favor  of  courses  in  biblical  literature  and  history. 

Since  they  had  but  recently  won  the  battle  for  a 
more  practical  curriculum  and  were  beginning  to  get 
gratifying  results  in  improved  Bible  study  and  im¬ 
proved  service  ability  with  their  new  materials,  they 
had  no  notion  of  going  backward  in  this  matter  for  the 
sake  of  high-school  credit.  If  the  plan  had  involved 
credit  for  “religious  instruction,”  defining  simply  the 
academic  conditions  under  which  the  work  should  be 
done  and  leaving  to  each  church  the  privilege  of  de¬ 
termining  for  itself  the  content  of  religious  instruction, 
it  would  have  enlisted  much  greater  support  than  it 
received. 

Again,  the  movement  was  handicapped  because  some 
saw  in  it  a  “short  cut”  to  successful  religious  education. 
They  expected  the  allurement  of  credit  to  win  to  the 
Sunday-school  young  people  who  were  then  out  of  the 
school  because  the  teachers  were  too  incompetent  to 
hold  them.  A  man  was  speaking  to  the  writer  enthusi- 

203 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


astically  about  the  possibilities  of  high-school  credit  in 
his  city.  Since  a  recent  convention  had  inspired  him 
with  the  notion  the  writer  attempted  to  show  how  he 
could  put  his  own  school  in  readiness  to  do  creditable 
work  when  the  Board  of  Education  should  act  favorably. 
He  pointed  out  that  steps  must  be  taken  to  train  the 
teachers,  to  improve  the  organization  of  the  school, 
and  to  improve  the  curriculum.  “But,”  exclaimed  the 
man,  impatiently,  “I  am  not  interested  in  improving 
this  school,  I  am  interested  in  high-school  credit.” 
“Then,  my  friend,”  came  the  reply,  “you  are  interested 
in  the  least  important  phase  of  the  whole  question. 
If  the  Board  of  Education  of  your  city  should  determine 
to-night  that  credit  might  be  awarded  under  certain 
conditions,  not  six  Sunday  schools  in  this  great  city 
could  qualify  as  they  are  running  at  present,  and  cer¬ 
tainly  yours  could  not.” 

There  was  also  considerable  discussion  in  the  com¬ 
mission  about  legal  difficulties  in  certain  States,  but 
the  movement  was  dropped  at  the  time,  1916,  for  lack 
of  interest  and  not  because  of  legal  difficulties.  Never¬ 
theless,  the  question  of  high-school  credit  for  “religious 
instruction”  under  proper  conditions  is  a  very  live 
question  at  present,  and  the  North  Central  Asso¬ 
ciation  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  recently 
appointed  a  committee  to  define  a  unit  in  religious 
instruction  and  the  academic  conditions  under  which 
extra-mural  credit  in  this  field  may  be  granted.  When 
this  has  been  done  the  Sunday  schools,  by  improving 
their  teaching  force  and  their  classroom  conditions, 
while  using  the  proper  units  of  their  regular  curricula, 
will  be  awarded  credit,  and  this  form  of  cooperation 
between  church  schools  and  public  schools  will  be  upon 
a  firm  foundation. 


204 


) 

WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 

The  Gary  Church  Schools. — Another  experiment  in 
the  effort  to  secure  additional  time  for  religious  instruc¬ 
tion  began  in  Gary,  Indiana,  late  in  the  year  of  1913. 
Indiana,  through  the  leadership  of  the  State  Sunday- 
School  Association,  had  already  worked  out  a  plan  for 
high-school  credit  modeled  somewhat  after  the  Colorado 
Plan,  so  that  cooperation  between  the  church  and  the 
public  school  was  not  an  untried  thing  in  this  State. 
However,  the  Gary  experiment  arose  through  none  of 
the  plans  previously  mentioned,  but  because  of  the 
unique  character  of  the  Gary  public  schools  carrying 
out  the  theories  of  William  Wirt,  their  superintendent. 

Professor  Wirt  is  a  thoroughgoing  believer  in  the 
unity  of  the  educational  process.  He  believes  that  a 
good  school  should  guide  a  student  in  the  use  of  his 
leisure  and  in  his  occupational  desires  as  well  as  in  his 
study.  Hence  he  calls  his  schools  “Work,  Study,  Play 
Schools.”  He  believes  in  a  longer  school  day  in  order 
to  guide  the  use  of  more  of  the  pupil’s  time.  The  Gary 
school  day  is  from  8  A.  m.  to  5  p.  M.  with  night  classes 
for  those  who  desire  them.  He  also  believes  in  religious 
education  as  an  important  factor  in  the  development 
of  any  child,  and  holds  that  the  lengthened  school 
day  should  provide  a  place  for  religion  as  it  does  for 
play,  for  music,  and  other  useful  activities.  In  order 
to  get  the  maximum  use  out  of  the  Gary  buildings  he 
organized  his  school  system  so  that  “A”  school  as¬ 
sembles  at  8  A.  m.,  and  uses  the  recitation  rooms  for 
an  hour,  then  goes  to  the  playground  and  rooms  de¬ 
voted  to  expressional  activities,  while  the  “B”  school 
assembles  in  the  classrooms.  Thus  classrooms  and 
expressional  facilities  are  used  constantly,  and  during 
the  school  day  the  pupil  has  time  for  religious  as  well 
as  other  studies  if  he  so  desires. 

205 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


In  the  fall  of  1913  Professor  Wirt  spoke  to  J.  M. 
Avann,  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
offered  to  release  pupils  to  the  churches  for  religious 
instruction  if  the  pastors  cared  to  avail  themselves  of 
this  offer.  Dr.  Avann  at  once  called  the  pastors  to¬ 
gether,  and  they  accepted  this  opportunity  promptly. 
Not  having  the  funds  necessary  to  finance  the  new 
project,  some  of  these  churches  through  their  pastors 
appealed  to  the  boards  in  charge  of  promoting  religious 
education  in  their  respective  denominations.  The  Bap¬ 
tist,  Congregational,  Disciples  of  Christ,  Methodist 
Episcopal,  Presbyterian,  and  Protestant  Episcopal 
Boards  all  responded  with  some  help,  and  week-day 
schools  of  religion  were  begun  by  some  of  the  churches 
in  the  fall  of  1914. 

In  the  faff  of  1915  the  following  directors  were  giving 
full  time  to  the  organization  of  week-day  schools  in 
their  churches: 

Myron  C.  Settle,  Disciples  of  Christ. 

Harry  Webb  Farrington,  Methodist. 

Thomas  Owens,  Presbyterian. 

Miss  Vera  L.  Noyes,  Protestant  Episcopal. 

The  Baptist  Church,  under  the  leadership  of  H.  E. 
Wilson,  pastor,  conducted  a  school  using  local  people  as 
teachers  for  fifty  cents  an  hour  and  securing  very  great 
assistance  from  Selden  L.  Roberts,  State  superintendent 
of  religious  education  of  the  Baptist  denomination  for 
Indiana. 

In  addition  to  those  mentioned,  schools  were  opened 
under  the  leadership  of  the  pastor  of  the  Congrega¬ 
tional  Church,  while  union  classes  were  conducted  in 
Neighborhood  House  and  in  Friendly  House.  The 
Jews  conducted  two  schools,  but  made  only  slight  use 
of  the  special  schedule.  The  Roman  Catholics  did  not 

206 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


open  any  special  schools,  since  they  already  had  strong 
parochial  schools  in  the  city. 

The  following  table  will  give  the  enrollment  of  the 
schools  in  December,  1915,  and  other  interesting 
information  :* 5 


General  Expenses 

Probably 

_  Denomination  Pupils  Teacher's  Salary  First  Year  Second  Year 

Baptiet .  66  50c,  per  hour.  Very  Little 

Total  last  year,  $250 

Congregational .  36  None  None  except  heat,  $10 

Disciples  of  Christ .  151  $1,800  $300  $150 

Methodist  Episcopal ... .  Ill  1,800  250  150 

Presbyterian .  104  1,200  62  50 

and  $7  per  month 
for  house  rent 

Protestant  Episcopal ....  59  750  250  150 

Jewish  (Orthodox) .  56  1 , 800  (all  expenses) 

Jewish  (Reformed) .  36  None  None 


From  the  beginning  the  church  schools  were  successful 
in  holding  the  loyalty  of  pupils  and  parents.  Although 
the  teaching  accommodations  were  inadequate  and  the 
curriculum  material  was  far  from  satisfactory,  Pro¬ 
fessor  Wirt  and  others  testified  in  1915  that  the  plan 
had  made  religion  a  subject  of  conversation  along 
with  other  topics  of  the  school  child,  and  that  the 
conduct  of  the  church-school  children  was  abundant 
evidence  that  the  schools  were  helping  to  develop 
Christian  character. 

The  great  forward  step  in  the  Gary  Church  Schools 
came  in  1918,  when  five  Protestant  denominations  united 
to  form  a  community  Board  of  Education  and  to  create 
a  community  system  of  church  schools.6 

This  made  possible  far  more  effective  work  at  greatly 
reduced  expenditures.  It  also  enabled  these  churches 
to  have  schools  near  the  public-school  buildings,  where¬ 
as  under  the  old  plan  most  of  the  church-school  classes 

6  Religious  Education ,  February,  1916,  p.  6.  From  article  entitled  “The  Week- 

Day  Church  Schools  of  Indiana,”  a  report  of  an  investigation  by  Arlo  A.  Brown. 

6  Week-Day  Religious  Instruction  as  Conducted  at  Gary,  copyright  1921,  Wil¬ 
liam  Grant  Seaman,  Mary  Elizabeth  Abernethy. 

207  . 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


were  held  in  the  churches  located  near  the  Jefferson 
School,  which  was  not  even  the  “Central  School”  of 
the  city.  In  the  new  system  where  churches  were  not 
conveniently  located,  special  “huts”  (similar  to  those 
used  in  war  work)  were  built,  and  in  one  case  in  1920, 
while  waiting  for  the  erection  of  a  building,  the  public- 
school  property  itself  was  used. 

Since  the  beginning  of  the  community  system  the 
teaching  force  has  been  under  the  able  supervision  of 
a  principal,  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Abernethy,  and  a 
competent  corps  of  instructors  has  been  developed. 
The  statistics  will  tell  their  story  concerning  the  growth 
of  these  schools. 

Community  Week-day  Church  Schools  oe  Gary 

No.  Schools  Initial  Total 


Year  Operated  No.  of  Teaching  Staff  Enrollment  Enrollment 

1917- 18 .  3  Principal  and  three  teachers  450  800 

1918- 19 .  7  Principal  and  five  teachers  800  2,100 

1919- 20 .  8  Principal  and  five  teachers  (plus 

three  part  time  teachers)  1,600  3,100 

1920- 21 .  8  Principal  and  seven  teachers  2,400  3,700 

1921- 22 .  8  Principal  and  six  teachers  2,900  *3,100 


*  Decrease  due,  first,  to  financial  depression,  causing  reduction  of  the  teach¬ 
ing  staff,  and  also  causing  families  to  withdraw  their  children  when  they  could 
not  contribute;  due,  secondly,  to  the  organization  of  other  church  schools  out¬ 
side  of  thi6  system. 

Significance  of  the  Gary-school  plan  and  Gary- 
church-school  plan. — Many  have  thought  that  the 
significance  of  the  Gary  Church  Schools  is  lessened  by 
the  fact  that  they  are  involved  in  the  Gary  Public- 
School  Plan.  The  position  is  erroneous.  The  Gary 
Public-School  System  does  give  the  Gary  Church 
Schools  some  advantages  and  it  also  gives  them  some 
handicaps.  But  the  sympathetic  insight  of  Professor 
Wirt,  and  the  educational  principles  which  he  has 
popularized  in  the  community  are  the  chief  advantages. 
If  a  school  system  is  to  guide  in  work,  study,  and  play, 

208 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  .INSTRUCTION 

V  -r  * 

the  elimination  of  religion  from  a  place  in  that  program 
would  seem  to  be  unthinkable.  Furthermore,  the 
writer  ventures  the  opinion  that,  quite  apart  from  any 
consideration  of  the  Gary  public-school  time  schedule, 
Professor  Wirt  is  absolutely  right  in  insisting  that  the 
school  should  guide  a  larger  portion  of  the  pupil’s  life 
and  that  religious  instruction  is  a  necessary  feature 
in  such  guidance. 

The  chief  significance,  then,  of  the  Gary  School 
Plan  to  religious  education  is  that  it  recognized  the 
importance  of  religious  instruction  and  offered  to  the 
churches  an  opportunity  to  provide  such  during  school 
hours  when  the  pupil  was  unfatigued.  This  applied, 
however,  only  to  children  whose  parents  desired  it.  It 
gave  the  churches  an  opportunity  which  they  accepted, 
and  the  publicity  given  to  the  peculiar  features  of  the 
Gary  Public  Schools  likewise  gave  the  church-school 
movement  great  publicity.  For  eight  years  the  Gary 
Week-Day  Church  Schools  have  been  conducted  success¬ 
fully.  Their  workers  did  not  seek  the  publicity  which 
came  to  them,  and  in  a  sense  it  was  a  handicap  to  be 
thus  “set  on  a  hill,”  but  they  have  steadily  improved 
their  work,  and  to-day  these  schools  are  far  more 
effective  and  more  firmly  established  in  the  affections 
of  the  Gary  people  than  ever  before.  The  church- 
school  leaders  in  Gary  have  given  to  the  world  a  good 
object  lesson,  and  they  expect  other  schools  to  improve 
on  their  materials  and  methods. 

As  previously  indicated,  the  idea  of  taking  children 
into  the  church  for  instruction  after  school  hours  was 
not  new  in  1914.  The  Jewish  religious  leaders  have 
long  conducted  successful  schools  at  such  a  time,  but 
the  idea  of  getting  public-school  children  dismissed 
from  classes  during  school  hours  in  order  to  attend  a 

209 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


church  school  for  religious  instruction  was  practically 
new.  Although  there  were  isolated  cases  of  this,  such 
as  the  Wenner  plan  in  New  York,  the  idea  did  not 
receive  widespread  attention  until  tried  out  in  Gary. 
To-day,  however,  Gary  is  only  one  of  the  communities 
in  which  week-day  church  schools  are  flourishing. 

In  Hammond,  Whiting,  and  Indiana  Harbor,  nearby 
cities,  in  1922,  there  were  3,200  pupils  enrolled  in  the 
week-day  classes  even  though  the  Gary  public-school 
schedule  is  not  in  operation.  In  these  three  cities, 
having  a  common  director  of  religious  education,  there 
are  ninety-two  teachers  employed  on  part  time  and  one 
teacher  on  full  time. 

The  Van  Wert  plan. — One  of  the  most  significant 
experiments  is  in  Van  Wert  (Ohio),  whose  church-school 
system  is  patterned  after  the  Gary  Church-School  Sys¬ 
tem,  and  uses  the  same  curriculum.  However,  Van 
Wert  has  made  no  small  contribution  to  the  movement 
by  working  out  the  details  of  such  a  school  so  that  it 
can  be  made  to  fit  a  rural  community.  Let  us  quote 
from  the  description  of  the  school  as  given  by  the  Van 
Wert  workers  themselves:7 

“In  this  plan  no  pretence  is  made  to  originality.  In 
the  main  it  follows  the  Gary  Plan,  although  in  adapting 
the  work  to  the  ordinary  public-school  system,  and  by 
using  the  school  time  for  classes,  Van  Wert  has  placed 
the  work  on  a  basis  that  is  feasible  for  the  average 
community,  and  so  economical  that  smaller  com¬ 
munities  may  dare  to  venture  in  a  like  experiment.  The 
success  of  the  third  year  in  Van  Wert  warrants  the 
passing  on  of  the  main  features  of  the  plan  to  others 
who  are  looking  for  help.  The  simplicity  of  the  Van 

7  Van  Wert  Plan  of  Week-Day  Religious  Instruction,  Mary  K.  Cowles.  Ernest 
I.  Antrim,  p.  2,  The  Pioneer  Press,  Van  Wert,  Ohio,  1921.  Used  by  permission. 

210 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


Wert  plan  is  one  of  its  strong  characteristics.  A  large 
city  might  find  it  difficult  to  get  the  cooperation  of 
the  public  school  for  an  all-day  schedule  for  classes, 
but  Van  Wert  school  authorities  and  citizens  sensed 
the  value  of  the  work  at  the  start,  and  were  willing  to 
arrange  for  a  continuous  schedule  of  classes  for  the 
Bible  teacher  like  that  of  the  music  and  art  teacher. 
This  allows  a  trained  teacher  to  use  her  full  time  in  the 
work,  thus  giving  greater  unity  to  the  instruction  and 
requiring  a  minimum  of  supervision.  Moreover,  it 
reduces  the  liability  of  poor  teaching  which  may  result 
when  many  teachers  are  employed.  There  is  also  an 
economic  advantage,  because  the  equipment  provided 
for  the  classes  may  be  used  all  day,  and  the  expenditure 
for  heat  and  janitor  service  may  be  kept  at  the  lowest 
possible  figure.”8 

The  Batavia  plan. — Another  modification  of  the  plan 
is  found  in  Batavia,  Illinois,  where  every  Thursday 
throughout  the  school  year  the  children  of  the  eight 
grades  go  to  their  respective  churches  for  one  hour  or 
more  of  religious  instruction.  By  united  action  of  all 
the  churches,  brought  about  through  the  ministerial 
association,  the  school  board  readily  granted  the  re¬ 
quest.  The  children  come  in  successive  groups  of  two 
and  three  grades  at  a  time.  The  system  was  established 
in  1919.  Mr.  Hoag  makes  the  following  significant 
statement. 

“In  some  forty  weeks  of  operation  there  has  not  been 
reported  a  single  case  of  truancy.  This  means  that  the 
children  like  the  work.  If  a  child  comes  to  public  school 
on  Thursday,  he  also  comes  to  his  church  school.  Can 

s  It  should  be  noted  that  only  a  small  percentage  of  the  population  of  Van 
Wert  is  Roman  Catholic,  hence  the  free  use  of  public-school  buildings  does  not 
involve  difficulties  which  might  attend  such  use  elsewhere. 

211 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


any  Sunday  school  boast  of  such  a  record — of  having 
no  absences  except  for  physical  causes?  Tardiness  has 
been  negligible.  There  are  seven  hundred  and  twenty- five 
children  of  the  eight  grades  in  Batavia,  and  of  these  all 
but  fifteen  now  have  chosen  some  church  and  receive 
religious  instruction  on  Thursdays.  This  was  not  true 
at  the  start,  but  by  careful  explaining,  calling,  and 
checking  of  lists,  we  have  reached  this  remarkable 
showing.  This  means  that  over  ninety-seven  per  cent 
of  the  children  in  the  grades  are  receiving  the  instruc¬ 
tion.  One  hour  a  week  for  eight  years — and  this  for 
every  child  in  town — is  a  prospect  that  must  appeal  to 
every  religious  institution.  With  such  a  system  perma¬ 
nent,  the  effect  on  the  young  people  of  a  town  is  bound 
to  be  toward  the  making  of  more  numerous  and  more 
faithful  church  members.”9 

Utah  plan  of  religious  education  for  high-school 
students. — Another  very  significant  type  of  week-day 
church  school  is  that  begun  by  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints.  In  1912,  just  across  from 
the  Granite  High  School,  in  Salt  Lake  County,  was 
erected  a  small  building,  since  called  a  seminary,  with 
one  good  classroom,  a  principal’s  office,  and  an  entrance 
hall.  In  this  institution  the  students  of  the  high  school 
registered  for  courses  in  the  Bible.  To-day  there  are 
twenty-seven  such  seminaries  adjacent  to  public  high 
schools,  with  a  total  enrollment  of  3,400.  The  course 
of  study  covered  to  date  comprises  three  years  of  work: 
1.  Old  Testament  Studies;  2.  New  Testament  Studies; 
3.  Church  History  and  Doctrine.  The  last  named  is 
strictly  sectarian  and  carries  no  credit. 

Of  this  plan  Adam  S.  Bennion,  superintendent  of  the 

9  See  “Week-Day  Religious  Instruction  in|  Batavia,  Ill.,”  by  V.  Hoag,  Re¬ 
ligious  Education,  December,  1920,  p.  3078:. 

212 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


Commission  of  Education  of  the  Church  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,  Salt  Lake  City,  says: 

“As  to  the  actual  accomplishment  of  the  seminary, 
the  volume  of  commendatory  statements  of  public 
high-school  principals  who  have  observed  the  work  as 
it  is  done,  of  students  who  have  taken  the  courses 
offered,  and  of  parents  of  these  students,  indicate  that 
this  institution  is  one  of  the  greatest  forces  for  righteous¬ 
ness  ever  operated  by  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-Day  Saints.  It  makes  it  possible  for  a  church 
to  sustain  the  public  school  as  the  one  great  guarantee 
of  American  democracy  and  still  gives  to  the  youth 
of  our  land  that  sense  of  their  relationship  to  God 
which  anchors  them  to  the  faith  of  those  great  men 
and  women  who  founded  that  Democracy.  It  makes 
possible  the  achievement  of  the  ideal  expressed  by 
Professor  Athearn  in  this  memorable  statement,  ‘The 
world  will  never  be  safe  for  Democracy  until  intelligence 
and  godliness  are  the  common  possession  of  the  whole 
human  family.’  ”10 

A  SURVEY  OF  THE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  ASSOCIATION 

Other  schools  which  the  student  can  very  profitably 
study  are  those  in  Toledo,  Ohio;  Evanston,  Illinois; 
Oak  Park,  Illinois;  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio;  New  York 
City;  and  Malden,  Mass.  All  of  these  represent  success¬ 
ful  experiments  with  'significant  variations  in  organi¬ 
zation,  curricula,  and  other  features.  A  very  valuable 
study  of  the  whole  movement  has  recently  been  made 
by  the  Religious  Education  Association  with  the  co¬ 
operation  of  the  Committee  on  Social  and  Religious 
Surveys,  a  Continuation  Committee  of  the  Interchurch 
World  Movement.  The  Association  devoted  practically 

w  Religious  Education,  February  1922,  p.  54. 

213 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  entire  program  of  its  annual  convention  in  Chicago, 
March  29-April  1,  1922,  to  the  subject  of  week-day- 
church  schools.  In  preparation  for  this  discussion  the 
facts  concerning  the  present  situation  in  the  schools 
now  being  conducted  were  secured  by  Edwin  L.  Shaver, 
at  that  time  professor  of  religious  education,  Hendrix 
College.  His  survey  sets  forth  the  facts  so  far  as  they 
could  be  ascertained  statistically  and  supplemented  by 
personal  observation  in  many  typical  schools.  It  will 
reward  the  most  careful  study.11 

According  to  this  survey,  there  were  in  the  United 
States  at  the  time  the  survey  was  made  324  week-day 
church  schools  of  the  general  type  under  discussion, 
not  including  vacation  Bible  schools,  parochial  schools, 
or  Jewish  schools.  Of  these,  155  were  single  schools 
operating  independently,  while  169  operated  in  44  com¬ 
munity  systems.  Three  hundred  of  these  schools 
reported  a  total  enrollment  of  15,536  boys  and  16,592 
girls.  Mr.  Shaver  estimates  the  total  enrollment  for  all 
of  the  schools  at  about  50,000.  He  classified  the 
schools  according  to  four  types: 

Type  1.  The  denominational  or  individual  church 
type. 

Type  2.  The  denominational-cooperating  type  (loose 
federation) . 

Type  3.  The  neighborhood  or  city  system  (where 
schools  lose  their  denominational  character  and  merge 
their  interests  with  others  to  provide  a  common  course 
of  study). 

Type  4.  The  pure  community  type  (in  which  the 
governing  board  does  not  represent  the  churches  but 
the  community  at  large). 


11  Religious  Education,  April,  p.  83ft. 

214 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


No  school  of  Type  4  was  known  to  the  surveyor 
when  the  report  was  prepared,  although  a  few  had 
started  as  such  and  changed  to  Type  3.  He  found 
the  prevailing  types  to  be  as  follows:  Total  single 
schools  (Types  1  and  2),  155;  Total  schools  in  a  system 
according  to  Type  3.  169;  total,  324. 

Legal  aspects. — Of  especial  interest  to  many  are  the 
legal  phases  of  this  new  type  of  school.  Charles  L. 
Dibble,  in  his  paper  on  “Specific  Legal  Provisions  in 
Week-Day  School,”12  makes  the  following  convenient 
classification: 

Type  A.  A  room  is  set  apart  in  the  public-school 
building,  to  which  any  denomination  is  at  liberty  to  send 
a  teacher  for  religious  instruction  during  school  hours. 
Children  whose  parents  so  request  are  sent  to  this  room 
from  their  classrooms  at  the  time  assigned  to  their  de¬ 
nomination. 

Type  B.  Courses  in  religious  instruction  are  established 
by  one  or  more  denominations  in  their  own  church 
buildings  at  hours  (during  school  hours)  agreed  upon; 
children  whose  parents  so  request  are  sent  from  their 
school  buildings  to  these  classes;  the  courses  of  instruc¬ 
tion  are  more  or  less  under  the  supervision  of  the  public- 
school  authorities  and  credit  is  given  for  work  completed 
in  the  church  school,  and  attendance  enforced  under  the 
truancy  law. 

Type  C.  Same  as  Type  B,  except  that  the  instruction 
is  not  in  any  way  subject  to  the  supervision  of  the  public- 
school  authorities  and  no  credit  is  given.  Attendance  is 
not  enforced  under  the  truancy  law.  If,  however,  the 
child  habitually  absents  himself  from  the  church  school, 
that  fact  is  reported  to  the  public  school,  and  the  privilege 
of  attendance  is  withdrawn. 


11  Religious  Education,  pp.  42®. 


215 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Of  Type  C  he  says: 

This  scheme  contemplates  a  complete  divorce  of  the 
church  school  from  the  public-school  system.  No  credit 
is  asked  for  work  accomplished;  and  attendance  is  not 
enforced  under  the  truancy  law.  If  the  child  is  habitually 
truant  from  the  church  school,  he  is  simply  reported  to 
the  public-school  authorities  and  the  privilege  of  at¬ 
tendance  is  withdrawn.  The  work  of  the  church  school 
is,  then,  in  no  sense  a  part  of  the  school  curriculum.  In 
legal  effect  the  child  is  excused  from  school  in  order  to 
attend  the  church  school  on  the  ground  that  the  absence 
is  for  his  well-being  and  presents  reasonable  ground  for 
that  privilege.  This  plan  presents  none  of  the  features 
which  might  in  some  jurisdictions,  militate  against  the 
other  two.  It  does  not  involve  the  use  of  a  public  building, 
or  any  expenditure  of  the  time  of  the  public-school 
teachers,  nor  does  it  make  the  religious  instruction  in 
any  way  a  part  of  the  public-school  curriculum.  It  does, 
however,  raise  the  question  as  to  whether  the  compulsory 
school  law  authorizes  the  local  authorities  to  permit  the 
child  to  absent  himself  from  school  during  school  hours.13 

Courses  of  study  used. — While  the  curriculum  for 
week-day  church  schools  is  uniquely  in  the  experimental 
stage  it  will  be  of  interest  to  mention  some  of  the  courses 
which  are  now  being  used.  Professor  Joseph  M.  Artman 
in  an  article  entitled  “An  Evaluation  of  Curricula” 
describes  briefly  the  following:  Bible,  Gary  Leaflets, 
Abingdon  Week-Day  Series,  Scribners,  University  of 
Chicago,  Northwestern,  Keystone,  Lutheran,  Christian 
Nurture,  Roman  Catholic,  Catechism,  other  Sunday- 
school  literature,  Protestant  Teachers’  Association, 
Graded  Bible  Stories  (Mutch),  Toledo  Course  (Trettien), 
Lansing  Syllabus,  Oklahoma  City  Syllabus.14 

1S  Religious  Education,  February,  1922,  pp.  48S. 

14  Religious  Education,  April,  1922,  pp.  15 iff. 

216 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


Findings  of  the  Convention  of  the  Religious 
Education  Association. — The  convention  will  probably 
go  down  in  history  as  one  of  the  most  largely  attended 
and  most  influential  in  the  history  of  the  organization. 
A  Committee  on  Findings  presented  an  excellent  sum¬ 
mary  of  the  prevailing  opinions  brought  out  in  the 
discussions.  Doubtless  many  in  the  convention  would 
not  accept  this  report  as  an  expression  of  their  own 
views,  but  it  clearly  expresses  the  highest  educational 
ideals  and  attempts  to  impress  upon  all  readers  the 
necessity  for  proceeding  slowly  until  an  adequately 
trained  leadership  is  ready  to  guide  these  week-day 
church  schools. 

The  following  is  the  report:15 

The  Nineteenth  Annual  Convention  of  the  Religious 
Education  Association  is  confronted  by  conditions  which 
present,  on  the  one  hand,  a  challenge  to  greater  achieve¬ 
ment  and,  on  the  other,  a  ground  for  faith  that  this 
challenge  will  be  met. 

The  challenge  is  found  in  conditions  which  compel  our 
frank  confession  of  failure  thus  far,  with  all  that  has  been 
done  in  the  name  of  religious  education,  to  achieve  a 
social  experience  worthy  of  religious  ideals. 

Our  ground  for  faith  is  sound,  first  of  all,  in  the  face  of 
this  confession,  for  the  first  step  toward  improvement  is 
in  the  recognition  of  the  need. 

Another  ground  of  this  faith  is  to  be  found  in  the 
marked  increase  of  intelligent  interest  in  the  aims  and 
methods  of  religious  education  manifested  both  by 
individuals  and  by  organized  groups. 

A  striking  illustration  of  this  interest  is  found  in  the 
development  of  and  the  widespread  interest  in  the  week¬ 
day  school  of  religion  which  we  have  here  discussed,  an 


»  Religious  Education,  June,  1922,  pp.  2665. 

217 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


interest  further  evidenced  by  the  unexpectedly  large  and 
very  representative  attendance  at  this  convention. 

We  recognize  in  this  new  movement  what  may  prove 
to  be  a  most  effective  agency  in  bringing  about  that 
improvement — the  need  of  which  we  admit — provided 
that  at  its  inception  it  has  the  guidance  of  a  trained 
leadership  moving  toward  carefully  defined  aims  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  best  that  modem  education  has 
to  offer. 

This  movement  at  present  represents  a  fine  expression 
of  religious  devotion  with  a  recognition  that  something 
is  wrong,  or  at  least  inadequate  in  our  present  programs 
of  education.  But  there  is  also  need  of  fearless  self- 
examination  and  criticism.  We  must  develop  an  educa¬ 
tional  conscience.  We  must  recognize  that  with  religious 
consecration  there  must  be  a  consecration  to  educational 
science,  and  that  joining  these  two  we  may  hope  to  build  a 
program  of  religious  education  worthy  of  our  faith  in  God. 

Aims 

The  aim  of  this  movement  is  not  mere  instmction;  it 
is  not  dogmatic  nor  ecclesiastical.  We  have  as  our  goal 
the  more  and  more  adequate  living  of  children  in  society, 
measured  by  the  standards  of  religion. 

Curriculum 

It  is  plainly  evident  that  the  prevailing  type  of  cur¬ 
riculum  centers  in  biblical  instruction.  It  is  admitted, 
however,  that  the  value  of  this  instruction  is  to  be  tested 
by  its  results  in  experience.  This  conference  has  given 
evidence  of  a  strong  and  growing  consciousness  that  these 
values  will  be  more  adequately  achieved  by  a  curriculum 
which  is  organized  about  the  experiences  of  children  in 
society,  and  that  this  approach  would  also  conserve  the 
distinctive  values  of  biblical  instruction. 

Organization 

Each  of  the  various  types  of  organization  now  in  use 

?i8 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


has  certain  advantages.  It  is  clearly  evident  that  we 
have  not  yet  reached  the  stage  of  development  at  which 
organization  can  be  standardized.  Indeed,  it  is  doubtful 
if  any  one  type  of  organization  can  be  devised  which  will 
satisfactorily  meet  the  needs  of  all  communities.  The 
ideal  seems  to  be  as  close  an  approximation  to  the  com¬ 
munity  type  as  the  local  conditions  make  advisable. 

Supervision 

The  problems  of  supervision  in  the  school  of  religion 
are  not  essentially  different  from  those  in  the  general 
field  of  education.  Skilled  and  effective  supervision  is 
absolutely  essential.  The  function  of  the  supervisor  is  to 
cooperate  with  teachers  while  they  are  working  out  their 
tasks  in  improving  the  quality  of  their  teaching  and  in 
developing  a  more  adequate  religious  educational  expe¬ 
rience  for  the  children. 

Public-School  Relationships 

The  week-day  school  is  challenged  by  both  the  public 
school  and  the  child  to  justify  its  claim  for  a  share  of 
their  time  and  attention.  School  boards  will  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  grant  a  portion  of  that  time  of  the  pupil  for 
which  they  are  responsible  unless  they  are  assured  that 
the  experience  of  the  pupil  in  the  school  of  religion  will 
measure  up  to  public-school  standards,  nor  will  pupils 
give  their  attention  to  a  program  which  does  not  awaken 
real  interest.  This  is  a  legitimate  challenge  and  one  that 
the  school  of  religion  must  frankly  meet. 

Provided  this  challenge  is  met,  however,  the  school  of 
religion  is  entitled  to  the  opportunity  to  make  its  vital 
contribution  to  the  education  of  the  child.  The  impor¬ 
tance  of  this  contribution  of  the  school  of  religion  is  as 
clearly  and  sympathetically  recognized  by  the  public- 
school  men  as  by  the  church  itself.  The  greatest  hope  of 
a  satisfactory  solution  of  these  problems  of  relationship 

219 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


is  found  in  this  mutually  sympathetic  and  cooperative 
attitude. 

We  affirm  the  principles  stated  in  the  resolutions  of  the 
Association  at  the  conference  of  1916: 

“The  church  and  state  are  to  be  regarded  as  distinct 
institutions,  which,  as  far  as  possible,  cooperate  through 
the  agency  of  their  common  constituents  in  their  capacity 
as  individual  citizens. 

“The  work  of  religious  instruction  and  training  should 
be  done  by  such  institutions  as  the  home,  the  church, 
and  the  private  school,  and  not  by  the  public  school  nor 
in  official  connection  with  the  public  school.’ ’ 

Teaching  Methods 

The  problem-project  type  of  teaching,  rightly  under¬ 
stood,  involves  purposeful  participation  by  children  in 
the  educational  process  and  making  projects  and  problems 
growing  out  of  the  life  of  children  and  having  religious 
significance  the  basis  and  center  of  the  teaching.  This 
is  not  so  much  a  method  as  a  point  of  view,  and  a  point  of 
view  within  which  all  valuable  elements  in  the  older 
approaches  find  their  place.  Teachers  working  from  this 
approach  can  as  readily  grow  into  skill  as  under  more 
traditional  methods  and  its  manifest  superiority  in  the 
production  of  results  leads  us  to  recommend  it  as  the 
general  basis  upon  which  the  school  of  religion  should 
be  developed. 

Preparation  of  Teachers 

It  is  apparent  that  high  standards  of  professional 
training  for  teachers  are  a  requisite  for  the  success  of 
week-day  programs  of  religious  education.  Such  pro¬ 
grams  may  be  postponed  until  teachers  trained  under 
such  professional  standards  can  be  secured,  or  such 
professional  training  may  be  developed  in  part  in  experi¬ 
mental  schools  of  religion  where  there  is  trained  super¬ 
vision. 


220 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


Conclusion 

Modem  complex  social  conditions  have  raised  a  prob¬ 
lem  for  the  solution  of  which  the  religious  education 
already  developed  is  inadequate.  Those  interested  in 
the  progress  of  religion  have  been  baffled  by  these  con¬ 
ditions.  The  week-day  religious  school  seems  to  give 
hope  of  realizing  for  the  modem  world  a  religious  training 
more  nearly  adequate  to  meet  present  conditions.  But 
the  significance  of  the  movement  depends  upon  the  trend 
of  its  development.  If  the  week-day  school  simply  gives 
more  instruction  of  the  type  which  modem  education  has 
rejected,  the  future  of  the  movement  is  doomed.  If  it 
follows  the  trend  which  seems  to  represent  the  conviction 
of  this  convention  and  is  embodied  in  these  findings,  we 
shall  find  in  it  a  most  significant  agency  of  religious 
education.16 

MOST  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS 

The  two  most  difficult  problems  connected  with  the 
movement  are  ( a )  how  to  weld  together  the  leading 
Protestant  denominations  of  a  community  so  as  to 
create  a  community  system  of  week-day  church  schools, 
and  ( b )  how  to  relate  the  curriculum  of  the  week-day 
church  school  to  that  of  the  Sunday  school.  The 
former  problem  is  in  process  of  solution.  In  many 
communities  the  difficulties  will  be  slight;  in  others 
they  will  be  insuperable  until  the  individual  churches 
by  actual  experience  learn,  as  the  people  in  Gary  learned, 
that  a  common  teaching  staff  for  the  community  using 
a  common  curriculum  and  common  equipment  is  far 
more  efficient  and  far  more  economical  than  the  plan 
of  having  each  church  conduct  its  own  school. 

The  second  problem  would  be  easier  to  solve  if  there 
were  not  so  many  people  in  the  Sunday  schools  of  a 

19  Committee:  Herbert  W.  Gates,  J.  W.  F.  Davies,  Marie  Cole  Powell,  Wil¬ 
liam  James  Mutch,  Harrison  S.  Elliot. 


221 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


community  who  cannot  possibly  attend  the  week-day 
church  schools,  and  if  there  were  not  different  standards 
for  the  teachers  of  the  two  systems.  The  Sunday  church 
school  will  probably  for  many  years  if  not  always  make 
a  large  use  of  volunteer  teachers,  while  the  week-day 
church  school,  by  practically  common  consent,  seeks  to 
secure  paid  teachers  who  are  highly  trained.  Some  pub¬ 
lishers  are  preparing  textbooks  de  novo  for  the  week-day 
sessions  without  regard  to  the  Sunday  sessions,  while  the 
International  Lesson  Committee  is  trying  to  work  out 
a  unified  curriculum  for  both  week-day  and  Sunday 
sessions.  Eventually  the  curriculum  must  be  unified. 
The  writer  ventures  the  guess  that  it  will  contain  the 
materials  which  the  majority  of  cooperating  churches 
believe  should  be  used  for  the  religious  development 
of  all  the  children  in  their  respective  communities. 
This  will  be  the  basic  material  and  will  be  used  on 
week  days.  Correlated  with  this  will  be  the  materials 
for  Sunday  sessions  which  will  especially  stress  worship, 
together  with  the  beliefs  and  activities  of  a  particular 
denomination.  In  the  high  school  and  older  groups 
probably  separate  short  courses  which  are  well  cor¬ 
related  will  be  used. 

Problems  of  leadership  and  finance. — In  addition 
to  the  two  most  difficult  problems,  we  should  also 
mention  the  great  problems  of  leadership  and  finance. 
The  writer  believes  that  there  is  an  abundant  supply 
of  very  promising  leadership  material  eager  to  be 
trained  for  this  service  just  as  soon  as  these  young 
people  find  that  they  will  be  able  to  support  themselves 
in  the  new  work.  Creators  of  curriculum  material  and 
supervisors  of  teaching  are  the  greatest  needs  of  the 
hour  in  this  phase  of  religious  education.  Those  who 
are  doing  the  best  work  are  the  most  conscious  of 

222 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


their  limitations,  and  are  increasing  their  ability 
steadily.  In  addition  to  these,  new  leaders  with  more 
adequate  training  are  rapidly  coming  into  the  field. 
The  suggestion  that  the  churches  should  develop  an 
order  of  professional  teaching  women  for  this  work  is 
worthy  of  complete  support,  and  anyone  who  has 
interviewed  many  students  of  religious  education  can¬ 
not  help  but  feel  that  there  are  many  men  as  well  as 
women  who  are  eager  to  develop  professionally  in  this 
field. 

The  problems  of  finance  will  usually  be  difficult 
wherever  the  churches  do  not  cooperate.  In  a  coopera¬ 
tive  program  the  burden  should  not  fall  heavily  upon 
any  particular  church.  However,  congregations  which 
insist  upon  doing  the  work  alone  may  find  themselves 
handicapped  for  want  of  funds  and  equipment. 

Bible  teachers  in  public  schools. — In  a  few  com¬ 
munities  such  as  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  the  Bible  is 
being  taught  in  public-school  buildings  like  other  regular 
subjects  by  teachers  who  are  paid  by  the  churches,  but 
the  plan  has  not  been  sufficiently  tried  to  warrant  the 
writer  in  hazarding  a  guess  concerning  the  possibilities 
of  such  a  plan  in  communities  where  the  religious  organ¬ 
izations  represent  very  widely  differing  viewpoints. 

SUMMARY 

In  previous  chapters  we  noted  how  religious  and 
general  education  were  one  process  directed  by  one 
school  system  in  the  colonial  period  and  in  the  early 
days  of  the  new  republic.  Then  we  traced  the  process 
of  separation  until  the  public  schools  of  the  State  had 
practically  eliminated  all  definite  religious  instruction. 
In  this  chapter  we  have  studied  the  developments 
toward  giving  religious  education  once  more  its  proper 

223 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


amount  of  time  and  attention.  We  have  noted  the 
effort  to  lengthen  the  period  for  study  on  Sunday,  the 
successful  schools  of  religion  conducted  by  the  Jews  and 
some  individual  churches  after  public  school  hours. 
Lastly  we  have  discussed  the  rising  movement  for  week¬ 
day  schools  of  religion  arranging  their  time  schedules 
to  fit  into  the  schedules  of  the  public  school  so  that  the 
pupil  may  have  a  chance  to  study  religion  when  he  is 
unfatigued. 

It  would  be  ridiculous  to  expect  the  perfection  of 
such  a  system  of  schools  overnight.  The  fact  that  the 
churches  have  supported  eight  years  of  experimenta¬ 
tion  with  such  schools  before  trying  vigorously  to 
propagate  the  plan  is  a  good  omen  for  its  future  success. 
Years  will  be  required  before  the  work  can  be  done 
with  maximum  efficiency.  But  the  principle  upon 
which  these  schools  are  proceeding,  the  principle  of 
cooperation  between  state  and  church  schools  with 
complete  separation  of  administration,  seems  to  be 
sound.  No  legal  obstacles  to  the  important  features 
of  the  plan  have  yet  appeared;  and  if  the  church  schools 
are  rightly  conducted,  they  need  not  appear. 

Such  week-day  church  schools  will  not  do  away  with 
the  Sunday  schools.  Only  the  privileged  ones  who  are 
in  the  public  school  can  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the 
week-day  church  school,  while  practically  every  one 
not  restrained  by  occupational  duties  can  receive 
religious  instruction  on  Sunday.  Paid  teachers  are  a 
necessity  in  the  week-day  schools,  while  literally  millions 
of  volunteer  workers  may  be  used  successfully  as  officers 
and  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school  if  the  proper  steps 
are  taken  to  train  and  supervise  these  volunteers. 

A  sane  and  careful  beginning  has  been  made.  Im¬ 
provement  of  the  materials  and  methods  will  be  the 

224 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


task  of  the  next  few  years,  but  there  is  every  reason  to 
expect  a  rapid  development  of  this  means  of  religious 
education.  Colleges  and  graduate  schools  are  already 
training  the  professional  leadership.  Just  as  soon  as 
the  churches  are  ready  to  put  adequate  financial  re¬ 
sources  at  the  disposal  of  these  workers  and  to  agree 
to  promote  in  cooperation  the  common  features  of  their 
greatest  task,  religious  education,  we  may  expect  great 
success  through  this  type  of  institution. 

,S' 

Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  Do  you  favor  a  public-school  system  if  the  elim¬ 

ination  of  religion  from  it  is  a  necessity? 

2.  Is  the  elimination  of  direct  Bible  study  and  other 

religious  materials  from  the  public-school 

system  of  the  United  States  a  necessity? 

3.  Which  of  the  plans  for  securing  careful  study  of 

religious  subjects  on  the  part  of  public-school 

students  do  you  consider  the  best? 

4.  Appraise  the  possible  values  of  the  Daily  Vaca¬ 

tion  Bible  School. 

5.  Appraise  the  significance  of  ( a )  the  North  Dakota 

Plan;  (b)  the  Colorado  Plan. 

6.  Describe  a  typical  session  in  some  grade  of  a 

week-day  church  school. 

7.  What  is  your  estimate  of  the  influence  of  the 

Gary  Church  Schools  upon  the  promotion  of 

week-day  schools  of  religion? 

8.  Are  the  results  of  the  week-day  church  schools 

up  to  date  gratifying  or  disappointing? 

9.  Describe  the  principal  types  of  week-day  schools 

of  religion. 

10.  What  are  the  best  curricula  of  these  schools  now 

225 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


in  use?  In  what  respects  are  these  ( a )  satis¬ 
factory,  ( b )  unsatisfactory? 

11.  What  should  be  the  relation  between  the  Sunday 

schools  and  the  week-day  church  schools  with 
respect  to  ( a )  pupils,  ( b )  teachers,  (< c )  cur¬ 
ricula,  ( d )  activities? 

12.  Give  your  own  estimate  of  the  future  of  week¬ 

day  church  schools. 

Bibliography : 

Cope — The  Week-Day  Church  School.  University  of 
Chicago  Press,  Chicago,  1920. 

Squires — The  Week-Day  Church  School.  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Publication,  Philadelphia,  1920. 

Wood — School  and  College  Credit  for  Outside  Bible 
Study.  World  Book  Company,  Yonkers,  N.  Y., 

I9I7* 

Wenner — Religious  Education  and  the  Public  School. 
Bonnell,  Silver  &  Co.,  New  York,  1907. 

Stafford — The  Vacation  Religious  School.  The  Abing¬ 
don  Press,  New  York,  1921. 

Seaman- Aberne thy — Week-Day  Religious  Instruction 
as  Conducted  at  Gary ,  Indiana.  Copyright  1921. 

Richardson — Standards  of  Week-Day  Religious  In¬ 
struction.  Northwestern  University  Occasional  Papers. 

Stout — Week-Day  Religious  Instruction.  Northwestern 
University  Occasional  Papers. 

Cowles- An  trim — Van  Wert  Plan  of  Week-Day  Reli¬ 
gious  Instruction.  The  Pioneer  Press,  Van  Wert,  Ohio, 
1921. 

Religious  Education ,  especially  February,  1916; 
December,  1920;  December,  1921;  February,  1922; 
April,  1922;  June,  1922. 


226 


WEEK-DAY  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION 


Pamphlets  published  by  denominational  boards  pro¬ 
moting  religious  education. 

Pamphlets  published  by  The  International  Daily 
Vacation  Bible  School  Association,  Bible  House,  New 
York. 


227 


CHAPTER  IX 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  IN  HIGHER 
INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 

Does  the  human  race  really  make  progress  or  does  it 
move  around  in  a  circle?  Is  it  always  beginning  to 
achieve  and  never  reaching  the  goal  which  seems  at 
times  to  be  so  nearly  attainable?  An  incident  in  the 
life  of  John  H.  Vincent1  (1866)  will  illustrate  the  prob¬ 
lem  raised. 

Evanston  Sunday-School  Institute. — Dr.  Vincent 

says; 

Yielding  to  the  unanimous  request  of  the  students  of 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  I  visited  Evanston  and  held 
four  sessions  of  a  Sunday-School  Institute  there  on  Friday 
and  Saturday,  September  14th  and  15th.  All  the  pre¬ 
liminary  arrangements  had  been  made  by  a  committee 
representing  the  Bible  Institute,  Northwestern  University, 
Northwestern  Female  College,  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Sunday-School  of  Evanston.  .  .  . 

On  Sunday  afternoon  I  was  present  at  the  opening  of 
the  Sunday-School  Normal  Department  of  the  North¬ 
western  Female  College.  Had  the  honor  of  delivering 
the  introductory  lecture  of  their  course.  More  than  sixty 
young  ladies  were  present.  The  lecture  was  on  “The 
Divine  Origin  of  Scripture.”  An  outline  of  it  was  placed 
on  the  blackboard.  Professor  Bugbee,  the  president  of 
the  college,  is  a  practical  Sunday-school  man,  and  will 
carry  on  the  normal  course  with  great  success.  He  has 
given  it  a  place  in  the  curriculum  of  the  institution.  We 

1  The  Sunday-School  Journal,  November,  1866. 

228 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


expect  to  see  this  feature  introduced  into  all  of  our 
seminaries  for  young  ladies. 

The  Institute  at  Evanston  was  the  first  of  its  kind  ever 
held.  The  suspension  of  exercises  in  the  university, 
college,  and  institute,  the  presence  of  students  and  their 
professors,  the  inauguration  of  a  regular  Sunday-School 
Teachers’  Normal  Course  in  the  Female  College — all 
these  features  mark  a  new  era  in  the  great  Sunday-school 
work.  The  standard  is  being  elevated.  The  energy  and 
talent  of  the  church  are  concentrating  upon  a  mighty 
appliance.  The  coming  men  and  women  are  preparing 
to  give  it  an  intelligent  and  hearty  support.  Let  us  take 
courage  and  go  forward.  The  whole  church  must  be 
identified  with  the  Sunday  school ;  and  as  the  educational 
department  of  the  church  let  it  command  our  best  talent 
and  our  united  efforts. 

What  would  have  been  his  feelings  at  the  time  if  he 
could  have  known  that  forty-six  years  would  elapse 
before  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  should  install  a  chair 
of  religious  education,  and  that  seven  more  years 
would  follow  before  Northwestern  University,  of  which 
the  Northwestern  Female  College  became  a  part,  should 
create  a  department  of  religious  education?  The  “new 
day”  when  colleges  and  seminaries  should  prepare 
teachers  of  religion  for  the  local  church  and  community 
did  not  dawn  when  it  was  expected. 

Early  colleges  in  America. — Religious  education  was 
the  predominant  motive  for  founding  the  first  college 
in  the  American  colonies.  Harvard  was  founded  in 
1636  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  William  and  Mary  (1693),  Yale  (1701), 
Kings  College  (Columbia)  1754,  and  all  of  the  other 
colonial  colleges  were  founded  primarily  for  religious 
purposes. 


229 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


The  following  is  a  part  of  an  advertisement  published 
in  the  New  York  papers  announcing  the  opening  of 
King’s  College:  “XV  The  chief  thing  that  is  arrived  at 
in  this  College  is,  to  teach  and  engage  the  children  to 
know  God  in  Jesus  Christ ,  and  to  love  and  serve  him  in 
all  sobriety ,  Godliness ,  and  Richness  of  Life  with  a  pure 
Heart  and  a  Willing  Mind,  and  to  train  them  up  in  all 
Virtuous  Habits,  and  all  such  useful  Knowledge  as  may 
render  them  creditable  to  their  Families  and  Friends, 
Ornaments  to  their  Country,  and  useful  to  the  Public 
Weal  in  their  generation.”2 

Soon  the  purpose  of  these  colleges  was  broadened  to 
include  preparation  for  other  “learned  professions”  and 
preparation  for  living  the  life  of  “a  gentleman”  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  standards  of  that  day.  The  curriculum  laid 
especial  stress  upon  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin,  but  in 
addition  offered  mathematics,  a  little  of  “natural 
science,”  training  in  oratory,  and  general  history.  Ethics, 
philosophy,  and  Christian  evidences  predominated  in 
the  senior  year  while  language  work  predominated  in 
the  other  three.  But  early  in  the  nineteenth  century 
the  main  purpose  of  preparing  ministerial  candidates 
became  a  secondary  purpose.  However,  the  ideal  of 
laying  a  foundation  for  life  work  in  the  learned  pro¬ 
fessions  and  of  imparting  culture  to  prepare  the  favored 
few  for  an  enjoyable  thoughtful  life  of  relative  ease  did 
not  pass  so  soon.  In  fact,  this  ideal  can  command 
adherents  in  almost  any  faculty  in  a  college  of  liberal 
arts  to-day.  It  is  not  our  purpose  to  discuss  the  merits 
of  such  an  ideal,  but  simply  to  record  the  fact  that  it 
has  persisted  down  to  the  present.  Every  attempt  to 
lessen  the  requirements  in  the  classics  so  as  to  permit 

s  Cubberley — Public  Education  in  the  United  States,  p.  201.  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  publishers.  Used  by  permission. 

230 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


the  student  to  take  more  of  science  and  certain  practical 
studies  needed  in  everyday  life  has  been  opposed 
tenaciously  by  the  supporters  of  this  older  ideal  of 
culture.  It  is  not  uncommon  to-day  to  find  denomina¬ 
tional  colleges  requiring  for  graduation  twenty  to  thirty 
semester  hours  of  foreign  language  study  and  advanced 
mathematics  while  making  no  requirement  in  psychology, 
Bible,  religious  education,  and  similar  subjects. 

Rise  of  the  State  universities. — But  the  rise  of 
State  universities  had  a  profound  effect  upon  modifying 
the  curricula  of  the  colleges.  These  were  founded  for 
the  very  practical  purpose  of  preparing  future  citizens 
for  their  duties  as  participants  in  a  democracy.  They 
did  not  ignore  the  classical  studies,  but  they  at  once 
became  as  much  interested  in  agriculture  and  engineer¬ 
ing  as  in  Latin — in  fact,  more  so;  and  the  sciences  were 
given  a  prominent  place  because  of  their  practical  value. 
The  following  table  indicates  the  date  of  the  beginning 
of  the  earliest  universities  under  direct  State  control:3 

1819  University  of  Virginia. 

1820  University  of  Indiana. 

1821  University  of  North  Carolina  (established  in  1 789) . 

1831  University  of  Alabama. 

1835  University  of  Michigan. 

1838  University  of  Vermont  (originally  chartered  in 
1791). 

State  institutions  prepare  teachers  for  public 
'schools. — But  the  principal  influence  of  the  State 
universities  and  State  normal  schools  upon  the  cur¬ 
riculum  of  the  college  with  respect  to  religious  education 
is  due  to  their  emphasis  upon  preparing  public  school¬ 
teachers  for  the  State.  What  could  be  more  necessary 

3  See  Oubberlay,  Public  Education  in  the  United  States ,  pp.  206,  207. 

231 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


to  the  life  of  the  State  than  the  preparation  of  an 
adequate  supply  of  competent  public-school  teachers? 
The  State  schools  made  large  provision  for  this  feature 
and  the  States  also  offered  inducements,  if  not  require¬ 
ments,  which  persuaded  the  privately  endowed  institu¬ 
tions  to  do  the  same. 

DENOMINATIONAL  COLLEGES  ALSO  PREPARE  TEACHERS 
EOR  THE  STATE  BUT  NOT  EOR  THE  CHURCH 

In  1915,  when  Walter  S.  Athearn  made  his  investiga¬ 
tion  of  present  conditions  of  religious  education  in 
colleges,  he  received  replies  from  140  institutions,  76  of 
which  were  institutions  endorsed  by  the  American 
Association  of  Universities.  Of  these  140  institutions, 
20  were  under  State  control,  62  classified  themselves  as 
denominational,  14  indicated  no  affiliations,  and  the 
others  designated  in  a  variety  of  ways  their  relation  to 
religion. 

A  survey  of  present  conditions. — In  the  course  of 
his  report  he  says: 

Practically  all  the  colleges  offer  a  group  of  subjects 
that  would  naturally  be  included  in  a  well-balanced 
course  of  religious  education,  such  as  ethics,  sociology, 
philosophy,  and  general  psychology.  Comparative  religion, 
Christian  missions,  and  church  history  are  listed  in  most 
catalogues.  The  frequency  of  such  courses  as  the  psy¬ 
chology  of  religion,  social  pathology,  rural  sociology, 
and  Christianity  and  modem  social  problems  indicates  a 
response  to  the  demands  of  the  times. 

Perhaps  the  most  surprising  thing  in  the  reports  is  the 
unanimity  with  which  the  independent  and  church  col¬ 
leges  have  responded  to  the  state’s  demand  for  trained 
teachers  for  the  public  schools.  Nearly  all  of  the  States 
grant  certain  concessions  and  privileges  to  colleges  that 
conform  to  the  standards  established  by  the  State  De- 

232 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 

partments  of  Public  Instruction.  Departments  of  educa¬ 
tion  and  chairs  of  psychology  and  pedagogy  have  sprung 
up  in  nearly  all  the  denominational  colleges.  In  almost 
all  catalogues  examined  there  are  listed  such  courses  as 
history  of  education,  educational  psychology,  child 
psychology,  philosophy  of  education,  principles  of  educa¬ 
tion,  school  administration  and  management,  meth¬ 
odology,  etc. 

Ninety-eight  colleges  report  related  courses  with  an 
average  of  eight  courses  in  each  college,  which  could  be 
used  to  advantage  in  building  a  program  for  religious 
education.  The  church  colleges  may  well  be  proud  of 
their  splendid  contribution  to  the  training  of  the  secular 
teachers  of  the  nation;  but  they  have  not  been  equally 
responsive  to  the  pleading  of  the  churches  for  teachers  of 
religion.4 

Reasons  for  failure  to  meet  the  churches’  needs. 

— The  reasons  for  such  a  situation  are  many  but  chiefly 
the  following:  (i)  A  failure  to  appreciate  the  importance 
of  trying  to  give  every  boy  and  girl  in  the  land  adequate 
instruction  in  religion;  (2)  a  fear  of  having  the  college 
called  a  “Sunday  school”  if  linked  up  in  any  way  with 
the  task  of  training  Sunday-school  teachers;  (3)  the 
inevitable  opposition  to  displacing  any  features  of 
work  given  in  subjects  of  longer  standing;  (4)  opposition 
to  any  courses  such  as  economics  and  education  which 
might  be  called  “utilitarian”  because  calculated  to  help 
one  earn  his  living  as  well  as  to  enrich  his  mind;  (5) 
lack  of  sufficient  income  to  enter  new  fields;  (6)  the 
comparatively  undeveloped  state  of  the  new  science  of 
methodology  in  the  field  of  religious  education. 

Religious  achievements  of  church  colleges. — 

When  a  historian  is  estimating  the  factors  which  have 

4  Religious  Education,  October,  191S.  P-  413-  Used  by  permission. 

233 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


exerted  the  most  influence  upon  the  nation  in  advancing 
the  cause  of  Christian  education,  he  will  give  the  church 
colleges  and  seminaries  a  very  high  place.  Since  the 
earliest  times  they  have  trained  the  great  majority  of 
the  ministers  who  have  had  a  college  education.  They 
have  down  to  the  present  been  the  most  fertile  field  for 
the  recruiting  of  ministers.  They  have  contributed  an 
overwhelming  majority  of  Christian  missionaries  and  a 
large  proportion  of  the  welfare  workers  in  agencies 
allied  to  the  church.  They  have  enriched  the  home  life 
of  the  nation,  and  have  given  some  preparation  to 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  Sunday-school  teachers  and 
workers  in  other  fields. 

All  of  this  and  more  the  historian  can  say  concerning 
the  contribution  of  privately  endowed  institutions  to 
the  cause  of  Christian  education.  But  the  colleges  have 
made  this  contribution  largely  by  indirect  methods 
such  as  through  atmosphere,  the  example  of  instruc¬ 
tors,  Christian  viewpoint  in  interpretation  of  courses, 
and  campus  activities.  They  have  taught  “related 
courses”  but  they  have  not  yet  in  any  large  way,  except 
rarely,  set  before  themselves  the  definite  task  of  provid¬ 
ing  a  community  with  the  kind  of  skillful  Christian 
workers  which  society  in  this  day  needs  so  greatly. 
These  institutions  are  just  beginning  to  accept  this 
responsibility,  and  the  acceptance  of  it  in  theory  is  by 
no  means  unanimous  yet.  Within  the  last  two  years 
a  college  president  stated  as  follows:  “I  have  taught 
religion  to  college  students  for  twenty-five  years,  and 
as  far  as  affecting  character  is  concerned,  it  has  been  a 
great  disappointment.  Pastoral  work,  the  personal 
touch  is  the  great  thing  at  our  State  universities  and 
private  colleges  as  well.”  Another  college  president, 
progressive  on  most  points,  about  the  same  time 

234 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


declared  “the  present  emphasis  upon  religious  education 
is  a  fad  and  will  soon  pass.” 

DEVELOPMENT  OE  BIBLE  STUDY  AND  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION 

The  field  in  which  the  denominational  colleges  have 
made  their  most  direct  contribution  to  religious  educa¬ 
tion  within  the  past  twenty  years  has  been  in  Bible 
study.  Since  1900  the  number  of  institutions  which 
have  installed  chairs  of  Bible  study  has  increased 
rapidly  until  to-day  it  is  rare  to  find  a  church  college 
which  does  not  offer  accredited  courses  in  Bible,  and 
practically  all  of  them  will  accept  a  limited  amount  of 
entrance  credits  in  Bible.  The  catalogues  of  forty-two 
white  colleges  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  the 
year  1919-1920,  including  the  theological  seminaries 
of  Boston  University  and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute, 
affiliated  with  Northwestern  University,  showed  748 
semester  hours  of  Bible  offered.  Clearly  the  Bible  has 
won  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  curricula  of  these  institu¬ 
tions.  These  catalogues  also  showed  810  semester  hours 
in  Education:  554  in  Psychology,  143  in  Philosophy  of 
Religion.  However,  only  15  of  the  colleges  offered  any 
courses  in  Religious  Education  with  a  total  of  154 
semester  hours.  Omitting  Boston  and  Northwestern 
together  with  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  only  51  semester 
hours  were  offered  according  to  these  catalogues  checked 
up  by  letters  and  telegrams.  Confusion  of  nomenclature 
was  noted  and  five  more  colleges  offered  courses  in 
Evangelism,  Sunday-School  Theory  and  Practice,  which 
would  bring  the  total  to  234  semester  hours.  Again, 
deducting  for  Northwestern  and  Boston  we  get  only 
1 14  hours.  It  should  be  said,  however,  that  several  of 
these  institutions  began  work  in  religious  education  in 

235 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


1920-21.  In  December,  1921,  37  white  colleges  of  this 
denomination  taken  from  the  same  group,  but  omitting 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  the  Boston  School  of  Theology, 
and  the  School  of  Religion  and  Social  Service  of  Boston 
University,  reported  658  semester  hours  in  Bible  with 
3,669  students,  while  29  instead  of  20  (as  in  1920) 
report  375  semester  hours  in  religious  education  with 
1,052  students.  Deducting  duplicates,  4,270  students 
were  taking  either  Bible  or  Religious  Education  in  these 
institutions,  while  in  the  same  institutions  5,859  were 
taking  advantage  of  1,149  semester  hours  offered  in 
general  education.  This  clearly  shows  a  great  gain  of 
interest  within  the  past  two  years.  Two  more  great 
institutions  of  this  denomination  established  chairs  of 
Religious  Education  in  the  fall  of  1922. 

To  meet  the  need  for  textbooks  to  be  used  in  college 
courses  a  very  significant  series  was  prepared  especially 
for  this  purpose  under  the  joint  editorship  of  Dr.  John 
T.  McFarland  and  Dr.  David  G.  Downey.  The  first 
books  in  this  series  that  appeared  were:  The  Bible  as 
Literature ,  Wood- Grant,  and  New  Testament  History , 
Rail;  both  published  in  September,  1914.  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  History ,  Peritz,  and  Social  Institutions  and  Ideals 
of  the  Bible,  Soares,  followed.  The  quality  of  these 
books  helped  in  many  places  to  overcome  the  criticism 
that  religion  could  not  be  taught  in  colleges  on  a 
par  with  other  subjects. 

Influence  of  psychologists. — The  cause  of  religious 
education  owes  much  to  the  development  of  the  new 
science  of  psychology  and  the  directing  of  psychological 
investigation  into  the  field  of  religion.  The  Psychology 
of  Religion ,  Starbuck  (1899),  and  The  Spiritual  Life , 
Coe  (1900),  created  a  sensation  in  religious  circles.  The 
application  of  psychological  laboratory  methods  in  the 

236 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


field  of  religious  experience  seemed  to  some  to  be  as 
sacrilegious  as  touching  the  ark  was  to  the  ancient 
Hebrews.  Rut  it  created  a  new  interest  in  religion  in 
university  circles,  and  the  most  forward-looking  church 
workers  also  welcomed  these  methods  of  scientific 
research.  Just  as  the  application  of  scientific  methods 
to  the  study  of  biblical  literature  aroused  a  great  interest 
in  Bible  study  in  the  universities  in  the  last  quarter  of 
the  past  century — an  interest  that  is  still  strong — so 
the  new  science  of  the  psychology  of  religion  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  new  century  has  proved  to  be  a 
great  asset  to  religion.  That  Christianity  has  suffered 
more  from  indifference  than  it  ever  has  from  opposition 
and  false  theories  is  too  apparent  to  require  comment. 
Without  passing  any  judgment  upon  many  theories 
advanced  both  in  the  field  of  biblical  research  and 
that  of  the  psychology  of  religion,  we  are  simply 
stating  that  both  of  these  movements  gave  an  unmis¬ 
takable  impetus  to  the  study  of  religion,  and  have 
been  invaluable  assets  to  the  promotion  of  religious 
education. 

Many  brilliant  psychologists  made  a  great  contribu¬ 
tion  to  religious  education  in  the  years  1900  to  1910. 
In  addition  to  the  two  writers  previously  mentioned, 
such  men  as  William  James,  G.  Stanley  Hall,  and 
others  were  especially  stimulating  and  suggestive.  The 
creators  and  writers  of  the  International  Graded  Les¬ 
sons  in  some  of  the  series  relied  much  upon  the  inves¬ 
tigations  of  these  men. 

Influence  of  the  Religious  Education  Association. 

—One  must  also  give  considerable  credit  to  the  influence 
of  the  Religious  Education  Association,  which  from  the 
beginning  has  exerted  more  influence  upon  the  college 
instructors  and  administrators  than  upon  any  other 

237 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


constituency.  The  college  men  who  were  the  leading 
spirits  of  this  organization  found  in  the  conventions 
and  in  the  magazine  of  this  Association  very  useful 
channels  for  propaganda  in  behalf  of  Bible  study  and 
other  phases  of  Christian  instruction. 

Theological  seminaries  and  colleges. — The  lead¬ 
ing  theological  seminaries  became  heartily  committed 
to  the  teaching  of  the  principles,  materials,  and  methods 
of  religious  education  in  the  first  fifteen  years  of  the 
twentieth  century. 

There  was  practically  no  opposition  to  a  chair  of 
religious  education  in  theological  seminaries  after  the 
awakening  at  the  beginning  of  the  century.  The  install¬ 
ing  of  such  chairs  became  largely  a  matter  of  when  the 
institution  could  secure  first  the  necessary  funds  and 
then  the  properly  trained  men.  But  the  installation  of 
such  chairs  in  the  colleges  was  a  much  slower  develop¬ 
ment,  carried  on  in  the  face  of  stubborn  opposition.  At 
the  present  writing  it  seems  as  if  the  opposition  has 
just  about  yielded  to  the  new  movement.  College 
administrators  may  not  favor  any  vocational  courses 
in  the  college,  but  they  are  generally  willing  to  concede 
that  religious  education  has  as  good  a  right  to  a  place 
in  the  curriculum  as  secular  education,  now  so  generally 
introduced. 

Religious  education  at  State  universities. — It 

may  seem  anomalous  to  suggest  that  one  of  the  most 
potent  factors  for  the  promotion  of  departments  of 
religious  education  in  privately  endowed  institutions 
within  the  last  five  years  has  been  the  example  of  State 
universities  and  their  affiliated  organizations.  Years 
ago  when  the  battle  for  church  or  State  control  of  the 
public  schools  was  on,  the  State-controlled  public 
schools  were  referred  to  as  “godless.”  Later  this  phrase 

238 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


as  applied  to  the  public  schools  was  dropped  by  Protes¬ 
tants  and  this  opprobrium  was  given  to  the  State  uni¬ 
versities.  Loyal  church  members  were  exhorted  not 
to  send  their  children  to  these  “godless”  institutions. 
But  the  advantages  of  free  tuition,  well-equipped 
laboratories,  and  vocational  training  courses,  advantages 
lacking  in  part  at  least  in  many  church  schools,  were 
too  strong  an  inducement,  and  thousands  of  parents 
failed  to  heed  the  warning. 

The  State  universities  enjoyed  a  phenomenal  growth, 
while  all  but  the  strongest  of  privately  endowed  institu¬ 
tions  found  themselves  struggling  to  maintain  their 
work  at  its  former  standard  of  relative  excellence  and 
popularity.  The  majority  of  privately  endowed  institu¬ 
tions  had  little  money  to  invest  in  such  new  courses 
as  those  in  religious  education  even  if  they  had  had  the 
disposition  to  do  so.  Furthermore,  the  Christian 
traditions  of  their  colleges,  and  the  Christian  character 
of  almost  every  member  of  the  faculty,  led  the  leaders 
of  these  institutions  to  feel  that  the  one  item  which 
was  most  certainly  provided  for  was  religious  instruc¬ 
tion,  even  if  it  was  left  out  of  the  curriculum  as  a 
definite  course. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Christian  leaders  who  were 
interested  in  the  success  of  the  State  universities 
recognized  that  some  definite  guidance  and  instruction 
in  religion  was  necessary  if  the  students  of  these  institu¬ 
tions  were  to  play  their  part  in  the  Christianization  of 
the  world.  Various  methods  were  devised  to  meet  this 
need.  The  first  one  emphasized  by  church  leaders  was 
the  development  of  the  local  churches  so  that  they 
could  serve  the  religious  interests  of  the  students.  Such 
a  program  seemed  to  require  satisfactory  preaching,  a 
strong  young  people’s  devotional  meeting,  and  occa- 

239 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


sional  socials.  This  program  is  still  satisfactory  to 
many  Christian  ministers  and  to  some  educational 
leaders,  although  candor  compels  the  statement  that 
most  of  these  are  not  located  at  the  seats  of  State 
universities. 

Another  plan,  coming  from  the  university  authorities, 
called  for  teaching  Biblical  literature  and  history  in 
such  departments  as  English,  Semitics,  or  Greek,  and 
the  introduction  of  some  religious  materials  in  such 
departments  as  Ethics,  Sociology,  and  Philosophy. 
Undoubtedly  much  wholesome  religious  instruction  has 
been  given  in  this  way,  but  the  instructors  must  neces¬ 
sarily  work  under  limitations  which  preclude  their  giving 
an  adequate  amount  of  definite  religious  training.  The 
University  of  Texas,  the  University  of  Michigan,  and 
the  University  of  Washington  are  typical  of  universities 
which  have  adopted  this  method. 

A  third  plan  provides  for  a  union  college  of  religion 
located  on  the  campus  of  the  university  or  adjacent  to 
it,  and  closely  affiliated  with  the  university.  In  this 
plan  several  denominations  unite  to  support  the  college 
while  the  university  lends  assistance  in  every  possible 
way  and  awards  credits  under  specified  conditions  for 
courses  taken  in  the  College  of  Religion.  This  plan 
has  been  in  successful  operation  in  the  State  Univer¬ 
sity  of  Missouri  and  is  being  undertaken  at  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Wisconsin.  A  fourth  plan  has  been  to 
develop  a  denominational  college  adjacent  to  the 
campus  of  the  State  University  and  in  affiliation  with 
the  university.  Wesley  College,  a  pioneer  institution 
of  this  type,  was  established  adjacent  to  the  University 
of  North  Dakota  in  1899.  It  has  had  a  very  honorable 
career,  and  its  success  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
influencing  the  denominations  to  establish  institutions 

240 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


which  will  teach  religion  in  affiliation  with  State  uni¬ 
versities. 

Wesley  Foundation,  University  of  Illinois. — A 

plan  which  has  had  conspicuous  success  at  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Illinois  thus  far  and  seems  to  be  only  at  the 
beginning  of  its  achievement,  is  really  a  combination  of 
the  first  and  last  plans  described.  Sixteen  years  ago 
James  C.  Baker  went  to  Urbana,  Illinois,  to  build  up 
a  church  for  the  university  constituency  only.  Many 
questioned  the  wisdom  of  the  plan.  The  existing 
churches  did  not  wish  to  give  up  any  of  their  adherents, 
and  the  problem  of  finance  loomed  large.  By  patient, 
resourceful,  devoted  work  this  institution  was  built  up 
until  the  church  building  erected  in  1906  became  utterly 
inadequate.  A  group  of  new  buildings  to  include  a 
church,  a  social  center,  with  library,  as  well  as  dormi¬ 
tories  for  men  and  women  were  projected  and  on 
February  15,  1921,  the  first  of  the  new  buildings,  a 
social  center,  was  dedicated.  A  staff  of  three  men  give 
full  time  to  the  work,  and  one  of  these  teaches  courses 
in  Bible  and  religious  education,  which  are  accredited 
by  the  university. 

At  the  dedication  exercises  President  Kinley,  of  the 
university,  said,  “To  my  mind  no  education  is  complete 
which  does  not  include  religious  education.” 

In  presenting  the  building  to  be  dedicated  Dr.  Baker 
said,  “We  dedicate  this  building  to  the  service  of  God 
and  the  cause  of  religious  education.”  The  number  of 
students  actually  enrolled  in  credit  courses  offered  by 
the  Wesley  Foundation  at  the  University  of  Illinois  in 
the  school  year  1921-1922,  was  168.  The  additional 
number  of  students  enrolled  in  Sunday-school  (volun¬ 
tary)  classes  was  467.  Dr.  Baker  writes  under  date  of 
January  3,  1922:  “Please  remember  that  we  are  only 

241 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


at  the  beginning  of  our  credit  work.  .  .  .  We  are  much 
encouraged  and  expect  the  classes  to  grow  in  numbers 
as  the  idea  gets  into  the  student  consciousness.” 

Such  a  movement  on  the  campuses  of  State  universi¬ 
ties  could  not  fail  to  act  as  a  powerful  stimulant  upon 
privately  endowed  institutions.  In  the  writer’s  hearing, 
one  college  president  in  opposing  support  for  such 
enterprises  at  State  universities  said,  “Give  our  school 
the  money  which  people  are  trying  to  raise  for  this 

religious  foundation  at  - ,  and  I  can  keep  the 

[naming  his  denomination]  students  away  from  that 
university.”  Another,  deliberately  addressing  a  con¬ 
ference  of  educational  leaders,  backed  up  his  opposition 
against  giving  denominational  aid  to  such  an  enterprise 
by  saying,  “If  these  plans  as  constituted  go  through, 
the  students  at  this  State  university  will  have  better 

religious  advantages  than  they  have  at - naming 

a  strong  church  school. 

But  one  can  hardly  object  to  a  denomination  making 
adequate  provision  for  teaching  religion  on  the  campus 
of  a  university  where  as  at  the  University  of  Illinois 
1920-1921,  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
adherents  of  this  denomination  were  in  attendance  and 
the  number  growing  each  year. 

The  purpose  of  the  religious  foundations  at  State 
universities  is  essentially  religious  education.  The 
other  features  of  instruction  are  already  provided  for 
by  the  universities.  The  real  difference  of  opinion 
seems  to  be  as  to  whether  or  not  religious  education  is 
a  necessity  to  university  students,  some  believing  that 
satisfactory  preaching  and  ample  opportunities  for  de¬ 
votional  and  social  expression  will  be  sufficient. 

Despite  opposition  these  religious  foundations  are 
making  headway  and  are  gradually  winning  the  ap- 

242 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


proval  of  denominational  college  presidents  and  other 
educational  leaders. 

The  college  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A. — Another 
religious  factor  of  very  large  importance  in  the  colleges 
and  universities  is  found  in  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 
Association  and  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Associ¬ 
ation.  These  hold  great  summer  conferences  annually 
which  enlist  many  of  the  ablest  students  to  volunteer 
for  life-service  as  professional  Christian  workers,  and 
which  practically  infuse  enough  inspiration  and  sugges¬ 
tions  to  keep  Christian  activities  going  at  high  pressure 
throughout  the  next  school  year.  On  the  whole,  for  the 
last  twenty-five  years  they  have  given  more  members 
of  the  student  body  training  for  some  phase  of  Chris¬ 
tian  work  than  all  of  the  other  agencies  in  a  college 
community  combined. 

With  the  new  interest  in  training  for  Christian  service 
coming  to  the  front,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the 
Christian  Associations  will  maintain  or  desire  to  main¬ 
tain  any  such  monopoly,  but  they  must  be  credited 
with  providing  much  instruction  and  training  which 
the  college  faculties  and  the  churches  should  have 
provided.  They  will  undoubtedly  continue  their  great 
service  of  inspiration  and  guidance,  but  will  share  the 
responsibility  in  the  future.  Their  system  of  volunteer 
Bible-study  classes  has  done  much  to  raise  the  ideals  of 
students,  but  as  a  system  of  study  it  has  been  no  match 
for  the  accredited  courses.  The  result  has  been  that 
the  student  has  studied  carefully  his  Latin,  mathe¬ 
matics,  chemistry,  and  English  literature,  but  has 
studied  the  Bible  or  missionary  problems  in  only  the 
most  superficial  way,  if,  indeed,  he  has  studied  these 
problems  at  all. 


243 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


GRADUATE  DEPARTMENTS  OE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

IN  UNIVERSITIES 

While  the  colleges  have  been  very  reluctant  to  match 
their  courses  in  general  education  with  courses  in 
religious  education,  a  few  of  the  great  privately  endowed 
universities  have  within  the  last  few  years  equipped 
themselves  so  that  they  offer  graduate  degrees  in  re¬ 
ligious  education.  Professor  Athearn5  in  the  report 
previously  cited  mentions  Columbia  University,  the 
University  of  Chicago,  and  Yale  College  as  the  only 
institutions  offering  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy 
with  a  major  in  religious  education  in  1915. 

The  University  of  Chicago  deserves  credit  as  a 
pioneer  in  this  field.  The  University  of  Chicago  Press 
issued  one  of  the  first  series  of  completely  graded  Sun¬ 
day-school  lessons,  and,  in  fact,  William  Rainey  Harper, 
former  president  of  the  institution,  backed  the  Blakeslee 
Graded  Lessons  before  he  became  president  of  the 
university.  As  far  back  as  1899  he  conceived  the  plan 
of  providing  a  series  of  textbooks  for  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  which  should  be  adapted  for  all  ages,  to  meet  the 
needs  of  several  periods  of  life  from  the  kindergarten 
to  adulthood.  The  first  volume  was  brought  out  in 
1900,  and  in  1906,  upon  his  death,  Professor  E.  D. 
Burton  became  the  editor.  Eventually,  after  the 
International  Graded  Lessons  had  been  launched,  this 
series  was  completed  as  the  Constructive  Bible  Series. 

Teachers  College,  Columbia,  has  /offered  advanced 
degrees  with  a  major  in  religious  education  since  1911. 
The  affiliation  of  Union  Theological  Seminary  with  this 
institution,  affords  the  student  excellent  opportunities 
for  graduate  study  in  this  field.  In  1922  Professor 

6  Religious  Education,  October,  1915,  p.  46. 

244 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


George  Albert  Coe  resigned  from  the  Seminary  in  order 
to  give  all  of  his  time  to  Teachers’  College.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Harrison  S.  Elliott.  Attention  should  also 
be  called  to  the  Hartford  School  of  Religious  Pedagogy, 
which,  under  the  leadership  of  Edward  Porter  St.  John, 
blazed  a  trail  in  this  field. 

The  Theological  School,  Boston  University,  estab¬ 
lished  a  chair  of  religious  education  in  1911.  In  1916 
the  faculty  was  substantially  enlarged  under  the  leader¬ 
ship  of  Norman  E.  Richardson  until  the  department 
was  offering  48  semester  hours  of  work  in  religious 
education.  In  1919  this  enlarged  department  was 
organized  as  a  School  of  Religious  Education  under 
Walter  S.  Athearn,  director.  This  school  and  the 
affiliated  School  of  Theology  offered  325  semester  hours 
in  Bible,  155  in  religious  education,  enrolling  278  stu¬ 
dents  for  the  school  year  1921-1922.  One  hundred  of 
these  were  full-time  students  taking  work  in  this  school 
of  Boston  University  only.  Fifty- two  out  of  the  total 
number  enrolled  were  graduate  students.  It  also  con¬ 
ducts  extensive  laboratory  experiments  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boston  such  as  the  Malden  Community  School, 
organized  in  1917. 

In  1919  Norman  E.  Richardson  resigned  as  head  of 
the  Department  of  Religious  Education  of  Boston 
School  of  Theology,  going  to  Northwestern  University. 
With  him  in  the  department  were  associated  George 
Herbert  Betts  and  later  John  E.  Stout,  both  famous 
in  the  field  of  public-school  education.  Northwestern 
at  the  same  time,  1919,  secured  Edmund  D.  Soper  as 
professor  of  history  of  missions,  and  Albert  E.  Bailey 
for  a  chair  in  rural  sociology.  These  accessions  to  the 
faculty  of  Northwestern  plus  the  professors  in  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute  and  the  college  instructors  in  educa- 

245 


* 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

tion  gave  Northwestern  unusual  resources  for  taking  a 
place  of  leadership  in  the  new  movement.  Among  the 
most  significant  contributions  of  the  department  thus 
far  are  the  promotion  of  experimental  week-day  schools 
of  religion  in  Evanston,  Illinois,  Hammond,  Indiana,  and 
Oak  Park,  Illinois,  of  Community  Training  Schools,  and 
the  preparation  of  curriculum  material  for  both  of  these 
types  of  schools.  In  1921  over  5,000  children  were 
receiving  week-day  religious  instruction  in  the  experi¬ 
mental  centers  directed  by  this  department. 

COMMISSION  ON  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  IN  COLLEGES 

On  January  29,  1920,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  Saint 
Louis,  Missouri,  the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evan¬ 
gelical  Denominations  requested  the  Council  of  Church 
Boards  of  Education  to  appoint  a  committee  which 
would  act  with  the  Sunday-School  Counciks  repre¬ 
sentatives  as  a  Joint  Committee  on  Teacher  Training 
in  Colleges  for  the  purpose  of  standardizing  and 
stimulating  the  work  in  this  field.  This  action  was 
taken  at  the  request  of  the  Teacher-Training  Com¬ 
mittee  of  the  Council,  the  members  of  which  felt  that 
the  next  great  forward  movement  in  religious  education 
must  inevitably  be  held  back  until  the  colleges  begin 
sending  into  the  local  communities  a  stream  of  people 
who  are  equipped  for  teaching  and  other  forms  of 
Christian  service. 

After  working  for  a  year  and  preparing  a  Report  of 
Progress  to  submit  to  their  respective  bodies,  it  was 
discovered  that  the  Religious  Education  Association 
had  appointed  a  commission  under  the  chairmanship 
of  George  Albert  Coe,  to  deal  with  substantially  the 
same  problems.  The  two  committees  at  once  exchanged 
information  and  assembled  in  joint  session  at  the  Con- 

246 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


vention  of  the  Religious  Education  Association  in  Roches¬ 
ter,  New  York,  March  n,  1921.  The  first  joint  session 
was  an  open  one,  to  which  all  the  instructors  of  Bible  or 
of  religious  education,  together  with  other  guests,  were 
invited.  The  remaining  sessions  were  private.  It  was 
found  that  these  two  committees  working  separately 
were  proceeding  along  practically  the  same  lines  and 
were  in  almost  complete  agreement  upon  the  major 
points.  The  following  is  the  report  of  the  Joint  Com¬ 
mission  as  it  was  adopted  by  the  Council  of  Church 
Boards  of  Education  and  the  Sunday-School  Council  of 
Evangelical  Denominations.6 

Recommendations  of  Joint  Commission: — 

I.  That  colleges  upon  religious  foundations  pursue 
the  policy  of  offering  sufficient  work  in  Bible,  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion,  and  various  subjects  related  to  religious 
education  to  prepare  their  students  for  intelligent  sup¬ 
port  and  leadership  of  religious  education  in  their  home 
churches  and  communities. 

II.  That  the  total  amount  of  work  contemplated  as  a 
minimum  be  one  fourth  of  a  four  years’  college  course,  or 
in  the  usual  terminology  of  the  colleges,  thirty  semester 
hours. 

III.  That  the  subjects  and  the  approximate  number 
of  hours  allotted  to  each  subject  be: 

1 .  Bible .  6  semester  hours 

2 .  Teaching  Values  of  Bible  material ...  3 

3.  Curriculum .  2 

4.  The  Christian  Religion .  3  “  “ 

5.  Educational  Psychology .  3 

6.  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Relig¬ 

ious  Education .  3 

"^These  organizations  modified  the  original  report  adopted  by  the  Religious 
Education  Association  by  making  the  basis  of  certificate  recognition  24  semester 
hours,  instead  of  30,  and  by  indicating  that  19  of  these  hours  should  be  in 
required  subjects. 

247 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


7.  Teaching  the  Christian  religion  (with 

observation  and  practice) .  4  semester  hours 

8.  Organization  and  Administration.  .  .  3 

9.  History  of  Religious  Education  in 

America .  3 

Total . 30  semester  hours 

IV.  That  a  certificate  in  religious  education  be  granted 
to  students  who,  upon  graduation,  have  completed  a  total 
of  24  semester  hours  of  work  herein  described,  19  of 
which  shall  be  in  required  courses  and  5  of  which  may 
be  elected  from  the  remaining  courses  indicated  in  “III.” 
The  required  courses  will  be: 

Bible .  6  semester  hours 

The  Christian  Religion .  3  “  “ 

Educational  Psychology .  3 

Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Religious 

Education .  3 

Teaching  the  Christian  Religion  (with 

observation  and  practice) .  4  '  “ 

Content  and  Emphasis . 

While  not  desiring  to  outline  any  courses,  the  Joint 
Commission  further  offers  the  following  suggestions  with 
reference  to  content  and  emphasis  in  each  subject. 

1.  Bible. 

The  aim  should  be  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  the 
Bible  as  a  whole,  understanding  of  the  historical  situa¬ 
tions  represented  in  its  various  parts,  realization  of  the 
permanent  significance  of  its  great  messages,  and  readi¬ 
ness  to  use  its  resources  for  the  needs  of  to-day.  In 
presenting  this  subject,  the  method  of  bare  outlines 
should  be  avoided;  rather,  the  general  perspective  should 
be  made  vivid  by  detailed  study  of  a  few  typical  parts, 
and  students  should  be  trained  in  the  use  of  the  sources. 

2.  Teaching  Values  of  Bible  Material. 

The  necessity  for  instruction  upon  this  topic  grows  out 

248 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


of  two  considerations:  The  great  extent  and  variety  of 
the  biblical  literature  and  the  wide  difference  between 
pupils  in  point  of  experience  and  spiritual  need.  The 
Word  of  Truth  must  be  “rightly  divided.”  Hence,  (i) 
Specific  material  must  be  selected  to  fit  different  ages 
and  needs.  In  this  matter  good  judgment  is  required  of 
the  teacher  as  well  as  of  curriculum  makers.  (2)  Within 
the  material  thus  selected,  the  specifically  Christian 
values  must  be  apprehended  and  brought  into  the  fore¬ 
ground.  These  requirements  necessitate  a  canvassing  of 
the  more  significant  portions  of  the  Scriptures  with  such 
questions  as  these  in  mind:  For  what  ages  is  this  passage 
appropriate?  What  problems  of  Christian  living  might 
it  help  solve?  Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  the  mind 
of  Christ,  what  is  the  main  point? 

3.  Curriculum. 

This  should  be  a  study  both  of  existing  curricula  and 
of  the  principles  of  curriculum  making.  Especial  atten¬ 
tion  should  be  given  to  a  study  of  how  to  select  the  right 
curricula  not  only  for  particular  schools,  but  also  for 
particular  classes  within  the  schools. 

4.  The  Christian  Religion. 

An  objective  study  of  the  Christian  religion  in  the 
twentieth  century,  including  the  essentials  of  Christian 
living,  what  the  churches  are  actually  doing  in  their 
effort  to  Christianize  every  phase  of  life,  and  their  pro¬ 
gram  for  the  future,  beginning  in  the  local  community, 
and  reaching  out  to  the  remotest  and  most  inaccessible 
parts  of  the  world. 

5.  Educational  Psychology. 

The  usual  courses  in  educational  psychology  can  be 
made  suitable  for  teachers  of  religion  by  a  few  modifica¬ 
tions.  Indeed,  the  problems  of  public-school  teachers  and 
of  church-school  teachers  are  almost  identical  in  such 
matters  as  original  nature,  interest,  and  attention,  habit 
formation,  memory,  thinking,  transfer  of  training,  fatigue, 
and  individual  differences.  But  the  subject  of  motivation 

249 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


needs  more  attention  than  it  commonly  receives — motiva¬ 
tion  not  merely  in  the  pupil’s  approach  to  particular  school 
subjects,  but  also  and  especially  in  the  formation  of  life 
purposes  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  member  of  a  religious 
communion.  In  the  study  of  original  nature,  native  tend¬ 
encies  that  underlie  social  and  anti-social  attitudes  and 
conduct  are  of  predominant  importance.  The  analysis 
of  habit  should  not  omit  the  formation  and  the  trans¬ 
formation  of  likes  and  dislikes,  opinions,  prejudices, 
loyalties,  and  ideals.  How  a  self  is  formed,  and  how 
group  minds  are  formed  and  modified  are  likewise  essen¬ 
tial  problems. 

6.  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Religious  Education. 

The  purpose  of  this  study  should  be  not  only  to  develop 

a  broad  outlook  upon  the  meaning  of  education  in  gen¬ 
eral  and  of  religious  education  in  particular,  but  also  to 
give  point  to  thought  and  planning  with  respect  to 
practical  issues  of  our  day.  The  specific  aims  of  Christian 
education  should  be  made  clear,  and  likewise  the  place 
of  education  in  the  Christian  plan  for  the  reconstruction 
of  society.  The  aims  and  methods  of  Christian  education 
should  be  compared  with  those  of  the  public  schools,  and 
the  respective  educational  functions  of  the  church,  the 
family,  and  the  state  should  be  considered.  The  phil¬ 
osophy  that  underlies  particular  types  of  religious  educa¬ 
tion  should  be  made  clear.  Finally,  the  child’s  relation 
to  God,  the  nature  and  process  of  religious  growth,  the 
meaning  of  worship  (with  the  educational  use  of  it),  and 
the  meaning  of  church  membership,  should  be  included. 

7.  Teaching  the  Christian  Religion  (Observation  Work 
and  Practice  Teaching  included). 

The  student  of  method  needs  to  learn  what  methods  of 
teaching  religion  now  in  use  succeed,  and  why  they 
succeed.  This  implies  not  only  familiarity  with  general 
standards  for  judging  teaching,  but  also  acquaintance 
with  the  details  of  the  various  processes  involved.  Train¬ 
ing  in  making  lesson  plans,  in  story-telling,  in  questioning, 

250 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


and  in  observing  children  should  be  required.  Wherever 
observation  of  teaching  and  practice  in  teaching  can  be 
properly  supervised,  they  should  be  included. 

8.  Organization  and  Administration. 

One  of  the  most  difficult,  and  likewise  fruitful,  fields 
of  Christian  service  in  our  generation  is  the  organization 
and  direction  of  the  available  educational  energies  of  the 
churches.  The  former  restricted  conception  of  building 
a  Sunday  school  is  now  broadened  to  include  instruction 
on  Sunday,  on  week  days,  also  in  vacation  time,  and  like¬ 
wise  a  multitude  of  activities  and  groupings  of  children 
and  young  people.  Moreover,  the  point  from  which  to 
view  all  this  is  no  longer  the  isolated  church  society,  but 
groups  of  churches,  the  community,  whole  denominations, 
nation-wide  and  world-wide  agencies.  College  students 
need  to  know  what  is  happening  in  these  directions, 
and  they  need  to  know  it  in  such  concreteness  and 
detail  that  they  will  be  able  to  take  the  lead  in  the 
educational  organization  of  their  own  churches  and 
communities. 

9.  History  of  Religious  Education  in  America , 

The  special  problems  of  teaching  and  of  organization 
have  their  setting  in  a  larger  whole,  namely,  the  life  of 
the  churches,  the  life  of  the  nation,  and  changing  social 
conditions.  The  worker  must  see  his  work  in  this  per¬ 
spective,  or  he  will  not  grasp  its  full  significance.  He  needs 
particularly  to  understand  contemporary  developments  of 
religious  education  in  his  own  country;  the  history  of 
the  Sunday  school  in  America,  especially  the  reform 
movement  of  the  twentieth  century  and  its  forerunners; 
the  setting  of  the  Sunday  school  in  the  larger  whole  of 
religious  and  moral  education;  the  secularization  of  the 
public  schools — why  it  occurred,  and  what  the  present 
laws  and  policies  are  with  respect  thereto;  developments 
in  the  educational  outlook  and  work  of  the  churches  and 
of  communities  as  determined  by  growing  knowledge 
and  by  social  changes — these  topics  are  of  immeasurable 

251 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


importance  to  the  Christian  citizen  of  either  the  United 
States  or  Canada. 

Relation  to  Other  Subjects  of  Study. 

The  Commission  would  emphasize  the  point  that  what 
is  here  proposed  is  not  a  course  of  training  for  professional 
workers  in  religious  education;  much  less  is  it  a  theological 
course  or  a  substitute  for  one.  It  is  hoped  and  believed 
that  out  of  the  studies  here  sketched  will  arise  frequently 
an  interest  and  ambition  to  give  one’s  whole  life  to  one 
or  another  Christian  calling  as  an  occupation.  The 
Commission  has  not  felt  called  upon  to  raise  the  question 
of  what  further  opportunities  the  colleges  might  possibly 
offer  to  such  students.  Our  recommendations  are  limited 
to  the  minimum  that  seems  to  us  necessary  in  order  that 
our  people  may  understand  the  Christian  culture  that 
they  inherit  and  the  rudiments  of  Christian  living  in  the 
world  of  to-day. 

Who  Should  Teach  These  Subjects? 

The  treatment  of  religious  education  should  not  be  less 
serious,  thorough,  and  technical  than  the  treatment  that 
'‘general”  education  receives.  In  both  fields  technically 
equipped  specialists  are  required  as  teachers.  A  tempta¬ 
tion  will  arise  to  intrust  some  or  all  of  the  subjects  that 
have  been  named  to  the  “handy  man”  of  the  faculty;  or 
to  append  them  as  secondary  duties  to  the  schedules  of 
teachers  whose  training  and  first  interests  lie  elsewhere; 
or  to  appoint  someone  as  teacher  on  the  ground  of  availabil¬ 
ity  and  cheapness ;  or  to  group  existing  courses  that  deal 
with  the  Bible,  religion,  and  education,  and  call  them 
“religious  education.”  Administrators  should  clearly 
understand  that  what  is  required  is  not  a  new  name  for 
an  old  thing,  nor  merely  new  permutations  and  com¬ 
binations  of  courses  and  students.  Our  recommendation 
concerns  a  new  branch  of  study  with  specific  aims  and 
subject  matter  of  its  own,  together  with  a  new  approach 
to  certain  older  subjects.  Effective  education  in  this  field 
cannot  begin  too  soon,  for  the  need  is  tragically  im- 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


perative;  yet  it  would  be  less  evil  to  wait  indefinitely 
for  proper  conditions  of  income,  teaching  staff,  and 
library,  than  to  substitute  anything  whatever  for  high 
grade  teaching. 

Respectfully  submitted  by  the  Committee. 

It  is  significant  that  the  Minutes  of  the  First  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  Sunday-School  Council  of  Evangelical 
Denominations  1911,  record  the  following  resolution: 

I.  On  The  Training  of  Sunday-School  Workers  in  Our 
Colleges  and  Seminaries. 

Recognizing  with  gladness  the  work  already  done  in 
some  of  our  Colleges  and  Seminaries. 

Resolved:  (1)  That  we  urge  the  establishment  of 
lectures  and  study  courses,  dealing  with  the  English 
Bible,  religious  pedagogy,  and  allied  topics,  and  that  such 
courses  be  made  a  part  of  the  regular  curriculum  in  all 
our  secondary  schools,  colleges,  and  theological  sem¬ 
inaries. 

(2)  That  wherever  possible  we  urge  the  establishment 
in  all  these  institutions  of  full  professorships,  dealing 
with  these  subjects,  and  professorships  in  each  institution 
to  be  of  equal  standing  with  any  other  professorship  in 
the  same  institution. 

(3)  That  we  recommend  to  our  theological  seminaries 
the  establishment  of  special  courses  for  the  training  of 
superintendents,  teachers,  and  other  Sunday-school 
workers. 

(4)  That  the  various  Sunday-School  Boards  or  Societies 
represented  in  this  Council  will  cooperate  in  every  possible 
way  with  the  aforesaid  schools,  colleges,  and  seminaries 
in  the  establishment  of  said  courses  and  professorships. 

II.  On  The  Training  of  Sunday-school  Workers  in 
State  and  Other  Higher  Institutions  of  Learning. 

(1)  That  the  Council  has  learned  with  gratitude  of 
the  introduction  of  departments  of  Religious  Pedagogy 

253 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


and  of  lectureships  on  modem  Sunday-school  principles 
and  practice  into  State  and  other  institutions  of  learning, 
and  expresses  the  hope  that  such  instruction  may  be  made 
permanent  in  the  institutions  where  it  exists  and  ex¬ 
tended  throughout  the  continent. 

(2)  That  the  Sunday-School  Boards  here  represented 
pledge  their  active  cooperation  with  the  student  pastors 
resident  near  said  institutions  in  all  wise  efforts  to  train 
the  students  under  their  charge  for  skilled  leadership  in 
the  home  Sunday  school. 

Perhaps  the  interest  has  not  developed  as  rapidly  as 
some  might  have  wished.  But  on  the  whole  very  sub¬ 
stantial  development  has  taken  place,  and  the  institu¬ 
tions  of  higher  learning  are  to-day  beginning  to  adopt 
whole-heartedly  some  program  for  the  training  of 
teachers  and  other  workers  in  religious  education.7 

SUMMARY 

We  have  traced  briefly  the  progress  of  religious 
education  as  a  subject  for  curricular  study  in  the  in¬ 
stitutions  of  higher  learning  of  the  United  States  from 
colonial  days  down  to  the  present.  In  the  earliest 
period  we  noted  that  training  in  religion  was  a  pre¬ 
dominant  interest  and  that  later  it  was  almost  dropped 
as  an  aim  of  the  denominational  colleges  of  liberal  arts. 
We  noted  that  even  the  theological  seminaries  of  the 
last  century  did  not  undertake  to  prepare  students 
directly  for  the  religious  educational  work  of  the  church. 

7  Since  1916,  under  the  leadership  of  John  W.  Shackford,  the  Board  of  Sunday- 
Schools  and  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
have  been  granting  certificates  to  college  students  in  schools  of  their  denomination 
on  a  basis  similar  to  that  recommended  by  this  joint  commission.  In  fact,  the 
successful  work  of  these  agencies  was  a  very  significant  influence  in  furthering  the 
work  of  the  commission.  The  cooperation  of  the  colleges  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  with  Sunday-school  agencies,  in  teacher  training  has  also  been  sig¬ 
nificant. 


254 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


However,  the  new  day  so  long  delayed,  dawned  early 
in  the  twentieth  century  and  we  have  found  that  espe¬ 
cially  in  the  last  ten  years  steps  have  been  taken  not 
only  in  privately  endowed  institutions,  but  also  in 
State  universities  to  teach  religion  as  a  curricular  sub¬ 
ject  so  as  to  prepare  students  for  church  and  community 
service  as  religious  workers.  Years  will  be  required 
before  the  body  of  literature  available  for  students  in 
this  field  is  adequate.  But  no  one  can  deny  that  those 
who  apply  themselves  to  this  field  of  scientific  investiga¬ 
tion  are  studying  one  of  the  most  vital  aspects  of  life 
either  from  the  standpoint  of  culture  or  from  that  of 
social  efficiency.  The  development  has  been  so  marked 
during  the  last  decade  that  a  few  cannot  escape  the 
feeling  that  it  may  be  a  fad.  However,  the  evidence 
based  upon  the  needs  of  students  and  the  substantial 
support  being  given  on  every  hand  indicate  that  this 
development  is  only  in  its  beginning.  Whenever  our 
higher  institutions  of  learning  actually  contribute  to 
the  world  a  great  company  of  young  people  who  are 
competent  to  teach  religion  either  as  parents,  volunteer 
workers,  or  as  professional  instructors,  then  a  new  day 
of  moral  advance  will  dawn  for  the  world. 


Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  How  do  you  account  for  the  fact  that  the  colleges 

organized  in  the  early  days  of  American  history 
had  so  much  interest  in  training  for  religious 
work  while  the  colleges  at  the  beginning  of  the 
twentieth  century  seemed  to  have  comparatively 
so  little? 

2.  Why  was  the  development  which  seemed  to  Dr. 

Vincent  to  be  so  imminent  in  1866  postponed 
fifty  years? 


255 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


3.  How  did  the  rise  of  State  universities  affect  the 

teaching  of  religion  in  colleges  of  liberal  arts? 

4.  How  do  you  account  for  the  reluctance  of  the 

denominational  colleges  of  liberal  arts  for 
many  years  to  teach  religion  as  a  curricular 
subject? 

5.  Cite  examples  of  colleges  which  are  teaching 

religion  for  credit,  giving  a  history  of  these 
developments  and  their  results. 

6.  What  have  been  the  principal  contributions  to 

the  cause  of  religion  on  the  part  of  the  denom¬ 
inational  colleges  within  the  last  fifty  years? 

7.  What  is  your  estimate  of  the  success  of  the 

courses  in  Bible  as  taught  to-day  in  typical 
colleges? 

8.  How  do  you  account  for  the  present  rapidly  grow¬ 

ing  interest  in  religious  education  as  a  curricular 
subject  for  colleges  and  graduate  schools? 

9.  What  plans  for  teaching  religion  at  State  uni¬ 

versities  or  in  affiliation  with  them  do  you 
believe  will  be  most  successful  in  the  next 
ten  years? 

10.  Do  you  expect  to  see  a  rapid  development  of 

departments  of  religion  in  graduate  schools 
during  the  next  fifteen  years?  Why? 

11.  What  is  the  outlook  for  religious  education  in 

the  colleges  of  the  United  States  as  you  see  it? 

Brief  bibliography  for  special  reference: 

Religious  Education ,  current  and  old  files,  especially 
report  on  “Religious  Education  as  a  Profession,” 
October,  1915,  and  “Report  of  Commission  on  Religious 
Education  in  Colleges,”  December,  1921. 

Reports  of  Denominational  Boards  of  Education. 

256 


HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS  OF  LEARNING 


Reports  of  Council  of  Church  Boards  of  Education. 
Reports  of  Committee  on  Education ,  International  Sun¬ 
day-School  Council  of  Religious  Education ,  held  in 
Kansas  City,  June,  1922. 

Discussions  in  the  periodical  press. 


257 


CHAPTER  X 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES  IN  RELIGIOUS 

EDUCATION 

A  foreteller  not  only  is  without  honor  in  his  own 
country  but  will  probably  never  come  to  any  great 
honor  abroad.  This  chapter  makes  no  attempt  at 
prediction,  but  it  does  undertake  to  describe  present 
tendencies.  Many  people  would  like  to  know  about 
the  future  of  religious  education  in  America.  Letters 
have  very  frequently  come  to  the  writer  asking  what  are 
the  prospects  that  lie  before  one  if  he  takes  up  religious 
education  as  a  lifework.  Who  knows?  The  present 
tendencies  indicate  a  career  of  great  usefulness  to  those 
whose  natural  gifts  and  adequate  training  have  fitted 
them  for  success  in  this  field. 

A  new  appreciation  of  need. — But  we  will  not  pre¬ 
dict.  The  outlook  was  almost  as  bright  in  1867  as  it 
is  to-day.  A  terrific  upheaval  had  shaken  American 
life  to  its  depths.  Men  everywhere  realized  that  unless 
a  race  could  be  developed  which  would  know  and 
practice  the  ideals  of  Jesus,  there  was  little  hope  of  ever 
seeing  a  happy  world.  Much  was  accomplished  toward 
the  realization  of  this  hope,  and  the  nation  emerged 
from  that  period  far  better  equipped  than  ever  before 
to  provide  religious  training  for  all.  But  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  an  adequate  system  of  religious  instruction  for 
the  nation  did  not  come  as  the  leaders  of  that  day 
fondly  hoped.  Such  may  also  be  the  outcome  of  the 
efforts  of  the  present  generation  of  leaders. 

But  at  present  the  conditions  are  more  favorable 

258 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


than  in  any  former  period.  There  is  apparently  an 
appreciation  of  the  importance  of  religious  instruction 
for  the  young  which  has  never  existed  before.  The 
horrors  of  the  recent  World  War  have  made  clear  the 
tragedy  of  expecting  a  happy  world  through  the  achieve¬ 
ments  of  a  perfected  human  mechanism  known  as  the 
‘ ‘superman.”  The  suffering  caused  by  the  so-called 
“Peace”  of  Versailles  has  made  clear  that  the  religious 
idealist  is  perhaps  not  so  impractical  as  the  one  who 
claims  to  deal  only  with  hard  facts,  and  tries  to  exact 
the  pound  of  flesh  from  a  prostrate  foe.  The  horrors  of 
starvation,  plunder,  and  murder  brought  about  through 
the  terrorism  of  a  despotic  minority  in  Russia  have 
revealed  the  fact  that  self-interest,  even  though,  it 
speaks  in  terms  of  brotherhood  for  a  limited  class,  is  no 
adequate  motive  for  rebuilding  a  prostrate  country. 

ADEQUATE  MOTIVATION  REQUIRES  RELIGION 

No  one  has  expressed  the  need  better  than  Rabin¬ 
dranath  Tagore,  although  he  may  be  unfair  to  the 
agency  when  he  says  of  the  League  of  Nations:  “It  is 
founded  on  force — it  has  no  spiritual  foundation. 
Humanity  is  not  yet  ready  for  it.  A  new  machine  is  of 
little  advantage  if  it  is  run  by  the  old  power  for  the 
old  ends.  Organization  is  not  brotherhood,  and  God 
cares  more  for  a  brother  than  he  does  for  an  empire. 
The  Great  War  was  one  of  the  blows  of  God  seeking 
to  break  down  our  materialism,  our  selfishness,  our 
narrow  nationalisms.  It  made  a  dent,  but  only  a  dent 
in  the  crust.  Other  blows  will  fall  betimes  until  we 
learn  to  live  together  by  the  real  law  of  our  nature — 
Law  of  Love — a  veil  will  hide  the  beauty  and  wonder 
of  the  world,  leaving  us  to  wander  alone  or  struggle 
together  in  confusion  and  strife.”  Many  readers  will 

259 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


join  the  writer  in  hoping  that  either  the  present  or 
another  League  of  Nations  will  make  sure  that  it  has 
a  spiritual  foundation,  for  permanent  peace  can  come 
in  no  other  way. 

The  political  chaos,  the  industrial  unrest,  the  business 
instability,  all  point  unquestionably  to  the  need  of  a 
spiritual  quality  in  human  life,  a  quality  which  Chris¬ 
tian  nurture,  where  faithfully  tried,  has  been  able  to 
develop.  Public-school  educators  are  emphasizing  mo¬ 
tivation  as  a  sine  qua  non  for  successful  learning.  The 
development  of  right  attitudes  is  one  of  the  main  tasks 
of  a  teacher.  Educational  processes  must  be  tested  by 
conduct.  Little  wonder,  then,  that  the  attention  of 
leaders  is  turning  to  the  problem  of  motivation.  But 
where  do  we  find  an  adequate  motive  for  brotherly 
conduct?  Certainly  not  in  self-interest,  however  much 
“enlightened”  it  may  be.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  history 
most  of  the  people  who  have  had  such  a  motive  have 
found  it  in  love  for  a  Person  whom  they  believed  to  be 
the  Son  of  God  who  is  the  Father  of  the  human  race. 
This  fact  is  profoundly  influencing  the  policies  of  lead¬ 
ing  educators  to-day,  and  seems  destined  to  wield  still 
greater  influence  in  the  near  future.  Even  though  they 
may  be  uncertain  about  the  absolute  reality  of  the 
Father  God,  they  cannot  deny  that  the  world  needs 
one,  and  that  faith  in  him  has  been  the  most  powerful 
incentive  to  brotherly  conduct  that  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

Direct  teaching  of  religion  a  necessity. — Should 
proof  be  required  that  the  direct  teaching  of  religion  to 
the  young  is  a  necessity  if  the  race  is  ever  to  become 
intelligent  about  religion,  it  could  be  found  in  the 
ignorance  on  religious  subjects  of  the  American  and 
British  soldiers  in  the  World  War.  These  men,  most 

260 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


of  them,  came  from  so-called  “Christian  countries.” 
Many  of  them  were  raised  in  Christian  homes  and  had 
Been  frequently  in  Sunday-school  and  other  church 
services.  But  the  actual  facts  about  the  development 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  about  the  teachings  of  Jesus  and 
the  working  program  of  the  churches  were  all  very  hazy 
items  to  them.  The  published  reports  of  careful  investi¬ 
gations  of  the  religion  of  army  men  have  been  strong 
factors  in  creating  a  nation-wide  feeling  of  need.  And 
the  first-hand  evidence  given  so  universally  by  the  chap¬ 
lains  and  soldiers  themselves  has  been  still  more  effec¬ 
tive.  It  is  reasonable  to  claim  that  the  thinking  people 
of  America  see  the  need  for  an  adequate  system  of  reli¬ 
gious  education  for  the  nation  to-day  as  never  before. 

Separation  and  cooperation  between  church  and 
state. — As  to  whether  or  not  such  a  system  can  be 
produced  in  harmony  with  the  principle  of  separation 
between  church  and  state,  there  is  considerable  doubt, 
with  the  tendency  strongly  inclining  toward  hope  and 
confidence.  This  confidence  arises  from  two  causes. 
In  the  first  place,  because  the  cases  of  cooperation  in 
particular  cities  have  been  sufficiently  numerous  and 
successful  to  warrant  confidence.  In  the  second  place, 
because  groups  of  workers  interested  in  both  education 
and  religion  have  come  to  understand  and  cooperate 
with  each  other  better.  The  more  mystically  inclined 
religious  workers  are  losing  their  fear  of  religious  educa¬ 
tion  as  a  merely  mechanical  substitute  for  an  emotional 
change  of  motive  and  a  passionate  loyalty  to  Jesus 
Christ,  while  the  educational  leaders  are  coming  to 
appreciate  the  value  of  religion  to  education  as  they 
have  not  done  before  in  recent  years. 

The  newer  educational  leaders  are  just  as  much 
opposed  to  any  formal,  mechanical  processes  of  character 

261 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


development  as  any  mystic  can  be.  Even  if  they  have 
no  place  for  God  in  their  thinking,  they  define  educa¬ 
tion  as  “the  progressive  reconstruction  of  experience,” 
and  a  change  of  motive,  familiarly  known  in  religious 
circles  as  “a  change  of  heart,”  is  no  unthinkable  expe¬ 
rience  to  them.  They  expect  such  and  really  seek  to 
produce  a  change  of  motive  frequently.  The  Christian, 
when  building  upon  this  theory  of  education,  finds  love 
for  the  Father  as  revealed  in  Jesus  the  most  powerful 
incentive  for  the  cultivation  of  reverence,  honesty, 
desire  to  serve,  loyalty,  and  other  virtuous  attitudes. 

The  outstanding  difference  between  Christian  edu¬ 
cators  and'  educational  leaders  who  have  no  faith  in  God 
is  just  here.  One  group  use  the  stories  about  God  and 
his  helpers  to  inspire  an  adequate  motive  for  social 
usefulness.  They  also  use  every  other  available  means 
to  develop  in  the  pupil  a  consciousness  of  fellowship 
with  God  and  a  passionate  loyalty  to  Christian  ideals  in 
society.  The  other  educators  seek  to  develop  right 
attitudes,  even  Christian  ideals  and  skill  in  social  serv¬ 
ice,  without  any  reference  to  faith  in  God  as  revealed 
by  Jesus  Christ. 

THE  PRINCIPAL  AGENCIES 

What  agencies  will  the  Christian  educator  use  in 
seeking  to  achieve  his  purpose?  He  will  use  every 
means  available,  but  the  instruments  most  practical 
for  his  purpose  are  the  home,  the  school — Sunday  and 
week-day  school — the  college,  and  the  graduate  school. 
The  present  tendency  is  to  lay  the  greatest  possible 
emphasis  upon  all  four. 

The  Sunday  school. — Thus  far  the  Sunday  school 
has  gone  the  farthest  toward  perfecting  its  technique  as 
an  agency  for  the  direct  teaching  of  religion.  Few  will 

262 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


deny  that  down  to  the  present  the  Sunday  school  is 
more  nearly  a  school  of  religion  than  any  other  feature 
of  the  local  church.  Its  leaders  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other  have  the  school  ideal,  and  they 
have  brought  the  curriculum  and  methodology  to  a 
state  where  a  reasonably  faithful  use  of  these  will  actually 
produce  gratifying  educational  results. 

Other  organizations  within  the  church,  such  as  the 
Christian  Endeavor,  the  Epworth  League,  and  the 
special  missionary  societies,  are  zealously  endeavoring 
to  develop  a  satisfactory  educational  technique  for  their 
work.  The  effort  is  highly  gratifying,  for  every  church 
should  have  one  unified  educational  program  under  the 
direction  of  a  committee  and  the  proper  supervisors. 
The  more  nearly  these  organizations  approach  the  same 
educational  standards  and  methods  as  the  modernized 
Sunday  and  week-day  church  school,  the  easier  it  will 
be  to  set  up  a  real  school  system  in  an  individual 
church. 

Week-day  church  schools. — Meantime,  while  the 
Sunday-school  leaders  are  perfecting  the  Sunday  school, 
they  are  also  experimenting  and  promoting  week-day 
church  schools.  Ideally  one  might  hope  that  all  of  the 
Protestant  churches  could  unite  to  establish  and  operate 
plants  for  the  teaching  of  religion  under  an  able  corps 
of  instructors  adjacent  to  every  public  school  building. 
The  pupils  would  then  come  to  the  church  schools 
according  to  a  carefully  adjusted  schedule  for  a  study 
of  the  religious  materials  and  beliefs  which  are  common 
to  all  of  Protestantism.  On  Sunday  in  their  own  Sunday 
schools  they  would  learn  the  history  and  the  peculiar 
tenets  of  their  own  denominations,  with  especial  atten¬ 
tion  given  to  the  program  of  world  service  in  which 
they  are  expected  to  take  part  as  church  members. 

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A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Actually,  however,  religious  education  among  Prot¬ 
estants  will  probably  come  in  one  of  the  following  ways: 
In  some  communities  the  churches  which  are  most 
congenial  will  unite  to  conduct  common  schools  of 
religion,  whether  this  union  embraces  all  or  only  two 
individual  congregations.  Elsewhere  individual  congre¬ 
gations  will  conduct  their  own  week-day  schools  inde¬ 
pendently,  except  that  they  may  unite  with  other 
churches  to  arrange  a  satisfactory  time  schedule  with 
the  public-school  authorities.  It  seems  clear  to  the 
writer  that  religion  is  too  important  a  subject  to  be 
taught  after  public-school  hours,  and  that  when  public 
sentiment  on  this  subject  is  crystallized  in  a  given 
community  there  will  be  no  doubt  concerning  the 
wisdom  of  giving  this  instruction  at  a  time  when  the 
pupil  is  unfatigued.  That  the  public-school  authorities 
will  gladly  cooperate  to  this  end  when  a  community 
really  becomes  interested  in  religious  education  seems 
to  be  certain. 

Future  of  the  Sunday  schools. — The  Sunday  school 
seems  to  be  just  at  the  beginning  of  its  career  of  useful¬ 
ness,  rather  than  at  the  end  of  it,  as  some  have  sup¬ 
posed.  Although  the  time  granted  to  it  is  altogether  too 
short,  if  it  has  an  hour  and  a  half  before  10:45  Sunday 
morning,  it  has  one  of  the  most  favorable  periods  of 
the  week — a  period  when  it  faces  no  competition  except 
that  of  indifference  and  inertia.  People  of  all  ages  and 
of  all  occupations  are  to-day  receiving  valuable  in¬ 
struction  at  this  period.  The  materials  and  the  technique 
of  this  institution  have  improved  so  within  the  last 
fifteen  years  that  where  they  are  used  by  a  competent 
teacher  the  Sunday  school  is  oAe  of  the  most  powerful 
influences  in  the  lives  of  those  who  are  reached  by  it. 
It  is  doubtful  if  any  single  hour  and  a  half  during  the 

264 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


week  goes  further  toward  shaping  ideals  and  developing 
moral  habits  than  this  hour  in  a  Sunday  school  under 
competent,  even  though  volunteer,  leadership. 

Will  the  Sunday-school  teachers  of  the  future  be 
paid?  Yes  and  no.  The  supervisors  of  teachers  will  be 
paid  so  far  as  possible,  and  an  increasing  number  of 
teachers.  But  the  church  can  never  afford  to  lose  the 
volunteer  services  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  great 
Christian  laymen  who  cannot  make  religious  teaching 
a  vocation,  but  who  are  glad  to  perfect  themselves  as 
teachers  for  part-time  service.  The  impact  upon  social 
movements  of  this  great  company  of  worthy  officers 
and  teachers  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  forces  for 
righteousness  in  the  world  to-day.  The  company 
should  be  increased  in  number  and  improved  in  ability 
and  spirit  but  never  allowed  to  disband. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  week-day  schools  of  religion 
will  require  the  full  time  of  many  workers.  And  a  great 
company  of  teachers  and  supervisors  with  the  highest 
professional  standards  must  be  developed  for  this 
v/ork. 

The  Christian  college. — As  we  have  noted,  the 
Christian  college  has  for  some  years  been  preparing 
teachers  for  the  state  to  use  in  its  public  schools,  and 
has  just  begun  to  show  a  similar  interest  in  preparing 
them  for  the  church  to  use  in  its  schools  of  religion. 
No  one  seems  to  question  what  the  future  policy  will 
be  in  this  matter.  Whether  most  of  the  colleges  will 
give  a  vocational  degree,  Bachelor  of  Religious  Edu¬ 
cation,  or  offer  the  necessary  courses  and  accredit  the 
work  toward  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  or  Bachelor  of  Science 
degree,  is  uncertain,  because  both  policies  are  being 
tried  at  present.  But  undoubtedly  the  colleges  will 
offer  the  most  essential  courses  in  religion  for  credit. 

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A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


The  majority  of  Christians  will  probably  agree  that  in 
developing  a  new  generation  for  social  efficiency,  so  that 
it  will  be  competent  to  remake  the  world  according  to 
the  ideals  of  Jesus,  the  direct  teaching  of  religious  facts 
and  principles,  is  an  indispensable  element. 

Graduate  schools  of  ' religion. — But  the  college  will 
not  assume  responsibility  for  completing  the  professional 
training  of  leaders  in  religion.  The  college  will  do  its 
largest  service  by  preparing  a  generation  for  social 
efficiency  whatever  may  be  the  vocation,  while  laying  a 
foundation  for  the  vocational  training  which  will  be 
received  in  the  graduate  schools.  Already  the  growth 
of  graduate  departments  and  graduate  schools  in  this 
field  is  remarkable.  The  leaders  of  this  phase  of  the 
movement  seem  to-day  to  be,  wise  enough  to  insist  that 
the  standards  of  this  profession  shall  be  as  high  as  that 
of  teachers  in  public  education.  In  fact,  they  now  urge 
the  student  to  receive  not  less  than  two  years  of  graduate 
training  above  the  college,  and  earnestly  recommend  as 
teachers  of  religion  that  those  who  aspire  to  lead  shall 
secure  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  If  these 
leaders  have  their  way,  they  will  see  to  it  that  this  will 
not  be  a  profession  to  be  taken  up  because  it  requires 
less  of  preparation  than  others.  The  development  of 
morals  and  religion  in  the  life  of  a  nation  is  the  hardest 
of  tasks,  and  only  those  having  the  best  training  should 
undertake  this  work  as  a  career. 

The  Christian  home. — After  this  brief  study  of  the 
progress  of  religious  education  in  the  Protestant  churches 
of  the  United  States  we  come  back  to  the  one  institution 
of  religious  instruction  upon  which  all  others  must 
rely.  The  Christian  church  will  make  its  greatest 
contribution  to  the  religious  progress  of  the  race  by 
developing  Christian  home-makers.  In  early  times  the 

266 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


father  was  the  priest,  and  most  of  the  religious  instruc¬ 
tion  was  imparted  by  father  or  mother.  During  the 
later  centuries  some  of  this  responsibility  has  been 
shifted  from  the  home  to  the  churches  and  schools. 
Some  of  the  responsibility  belongs  there.  These  latter 
agencies  must  always  supplement  the  home  with  in¬ 
creasing  effectiveness. 

But  the  physical  as  well  as  the  moral  well-being  of  a 
race  ultimately  rests  upon  the  parents.  There  is  no 
escape  from  this  fact.  America  has  a  high  ideal  of 
home  virtue  and  home  responsibility.  At  no  point  has 
the  Christian  church  of  the  past  in  America  made  so 
great  a  contribution  to  the  happiness  of  its  citizens  as 
where  it  has  touched  the  home.  There  are  perils  con¬ 
fronting  this  institution  in  these  days  of  so  many 
apartment  houses  instead  of  private  dwellings,  of  uni¬ 
versal  attendance  at  the  moving-picture  theaters,  and 
of  industrial  life  which  keeps  so  many  women  as  well  as 
men  away  from  home — perils  which  never  existed  before 
quite  so  acutely  as  to-day  S 

ASSETS  AS  WELL  AS  LIABILITIES 

However,  neither  has  the  world  ever  had  such  good 
schools,  churches,  playground  associations,  and  other 
welfare  agencies  as  to-day.  If  these  agencies  will  intel¬ 
ligently  direct  their  efforts  toward  improving  the  family 
by  the  preparation  and  assistance  of  competent  Chris¬ 
tian  parents,  the  progress  of  the  race  toward  the 
Christian  goal  is  assured.  The  Sunday  school  is  defi¬ 
nitely  undertaking  this  task  to-day,  and  the  public 
school  system  is  giving  increasing  attention  to  some 
phases  of  it.  The  colleges  are  just  beginning  to  see  this 
as  a  responsibility,  and  will  soon  take  up  the  problem 
more  effectively.  With  a  united,  intelligent  effort  on 

267 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


the  part  of  these  and  other  worthy  agencies,  it  seems 
as  if  a  healthier,  nobler  race  than  the  world  has  ever 
known,  a  race  acknowledging  the  leadership  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  striving  to  express  his  ideals  in  everyday 
life,  is  a  probability  for  the  near  future. 

The  problem  of  leadership. — The  movement  for  re¬ 
ligious  education,  like  every  other  great  movement, 
depends  ultimately  upon  the  number  and  the  ability 
of  its  leaders.  Well  might  one  who  has  any  responsibility 
for  this  movement  feel  humble  in  the  face  of  so  great 
a  task.  The  nurturing  of  young  lives  so  that  they 
come  from  weakness  to  power  is  at  once  the  most 
difficult  and  most  fascinating  of  tasks.  The  nurturing  of 
these  lives  so  that  they  come  to  strength  as  the  embodi¬ 
ment  of  the  highest  type  of  religion  that  the  world 
knows  is  still  more  difficult.  Christianity  sets  the 
spiritual  goals  toward  which  our  race  is  striving,  and 
for  a  person  to  be  a  living  example  of  this  religion 
he  must  become  as  nearly  perfect  in  character  as  it  is 
possible  for  a  human  individual  to  be. 

If  Christian  educators  were  striving  for  a  lesser  goal, 
it  would  be  easier  to  attain;  but  they  deliberately  strive 
for  the  highest  values  that  they  know,  and  consequently 
must  expect  to  find  their  work  hard  and  their  labor 
often  disappointing  in  its  results.  They  know  the 
difficulties,  and  their  own  faith  in  a  divine  Father’s 
power  to  help  gives  them  confidence  in  the  ultimate 
triumph,  but  they  tremble  to  think  how  long  the  victory 
may  be  postponed.  However,  there  is  no  tendency  on 
the  part  of  Christian  educators  to  relax  their  efforts 
and  to  depend  upon  the  Almighty  to  do  their  appointed 
tasks  for  them.  These  people  are  straining  every  effort 
to  improve  materials  and  technique  so  that  divine  love 
may  have  better  channels  through  which  to  operate. 

268 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


The  movement  for  the  training  of  teachers  and 
supervisors  is  depending  upon  all  of  the  four  agencies 
enumerated,  but  with  especial  reliance  upon  teacher¬ 
training  in  the  local  churches  and  in  higher  institutions 
of  learning.  Nearly  three  quarters  of  a  century  have 
passed  since  Vincent,  Pardee,  and  others  began  holding 
teachers’  institutes,  and  a  vast  multitude  of  teachers 
are  still  untrained.  The  public  school  has  been  even 
longer  at  this  task  and  has  achieved  more,  but  still  has 
far  to  go  before  adequately  meeting  its  needs.  However, 
it  can  be  said  truly  that  there  has  never  been  a  time 
when  so  many  people  were  in  training  for  these  tasks 
as  to-day,  nor  a  time  when  the  quality  of  training  has 
been  so  good. 

The  materials  and  methods  for  the  training  of  teachers 
of  religion  are  in  most  places  somewhat  inferior  to 
those  for  the  development  of  public-school  teachers, 
but  they  are  producing  gratifying  results  and  are  being 
improved  constantly.  The  teacher-training  textbooks 
written  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  present 
Standard  Teacher- Training  Course  mark  a  great 
forward  step  in  this  form  of  literature,  while  the 
textbooks  now  in  preparation  or  recently  issued  for 
community  training  classes  and  college  classes  by  such 
publishers  as  The  Abingdon  Press,  The  Pilgrim  Press, 
Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  The  University  of  Chicago 
Press,  and  others,  give  evidence  that  an  adequate 
literature  for  leadership  training  will  soon  be  available. 

The  very  recent  awakening  of  interest  upon  this 
subject  in  the  colleges,  seminaries,  and  in  graduate 
departments  and  schools  of  religion,  is  one  of  the  most 
significant  evidences  of  a  new  day.  John  H.  Vincent 
expected  this  awakening  to  bear  fruit  plentifully  in  the 
late  sixties  and  in  the  seventies  of  the  preceding  century. 

269 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Instead,  the  seed-sowing  and  cultivation  by  these  agencies 
is  just  beginning.  But  the  harvest  will  be  bountiful  in 
a  very  few  years.  In  fact,  the  world  is  already  reaping 
substantial  returns  from  this  effort  which  has  so  recently 
started. 

Good  statesmanship,  educational  skill,  and  patient 
persistence  are  necessities  of  the  hour  for  this  movement, 
and  the  writer  believes  that  the  leaders  are  exhibiting 
these  qualities  to  so  marked  a  degree  that  the  future 
is  bright  with  promise. 

SUMMARY 

We  have  taken  all  too  brief  a  glimpse  of  just  a  few 
of  the  factors  in  the  general  movement  for  religious 
education.  We  have  confined  our  study  largely  to 
development  in  the  United  States,  but  with  no  thought 
of  ignoring  the  debt  which  the  United  States  owes  to 
other  nations  of  the  world  for  inspiration  and  assistance 
in  this  field. 

■  ♦ 

Debt  to  England,  Canada,  and  other  countries. — 

Some  of  the  debt  to  England  we  acknowledged  in  the 
early  chapters,  but  the  limitations  of  time  forbade  a 
detailed  study  of  what  other  nations  have  contributed 
to  religious  education  in  the  United  States.  The  inti¬ 
mate  relationship  between  the  workers  of  Canada  and 
those  of  our  own  country  have  put  us  greatly  in  debt 
to  our  neighbors.  Those  who  have  sat  on  international 
committees  know  well  how  much  the  members  from 
Canada  have  contributed  to  the  technique  and  mate¬ 
rials  now  used  on  this  side  of  the  border.  The 
Canadian  members  upon  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Lesson  Committee,  in  the  Sunday-School  Coun¬ 
cil  of  Evangelical  Denominations,  and  elsewhere,  have 
been  men  of  great  strength.  In  the  main  the  devel op- 

270 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


merits  in  recent  years  have  been  the  result  of  intimate 
cooperation,  each  country  profiting  greatly  by  experi¬ 
ments  in  the  other. 

Limitations  of  this  study. — Time  would  fail  one  if 
he  attempted  to  follow  up  all  the  lines  of  investigation 
which  bear  upon  this  subject.  Instead,  we  have  at¬ 
tempted  to  describe  the  most  influential  currents  in  the 
main  stream  of  Protestant  educational  development. 
The  Roman  Catholic,  the  Lutheran,  and  other  im¬ 
portant  systems  of  religious  education,  have  been 
omitted  from  this  treatment  not  because  they  were 
unimportant  or  uninteresting  but  in  order  to  concen¬ 
trate  attention  upon  what  the  writer  believed  to  be  the 
most  significant  movement.  The  national  system  of 
religious  education  for  the  United  States  will  be  the 
outcome  of  this  main  stream  of  thought  and  activity. 
The  system  will  doubtless  be  profoundly  modified  by 
other  school  systems,  but  it  will  be  very  largely  the 
outcome  of  the  factors  whose  growth  has  been  nar¬ 
rated. 

The  history  in  brief. — From  a  crude  but  unified 
system  of  education  in  which  religion  had  a  dominant 
place  to  a  complex,  splendid  system  of  public  education 
with  religious  instruction  practically  eliminated  has 
been  one  phase  of  our  story.  From  a  crude  system  of 
religious  instruction  with  materials  ungraded  and 
technique  undeveloped,  to  an  elaborate  system  of 
graded  instruction  under  competent  supervision  in 
thousands  of  churches,  but  independent  of  all  State 
control,  is  another  phase  of  the  story.  The  third  phase 
deals  with  the  approach  to  each  other  of  the  two  systems 
which,  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  were  so  inde¬ 
pendent. 

Complete  separation  of  management  between  church 

271 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


and  State  schools  will  always  be  the  aim  of  the  leading 
Protestant  denominations  of  America,  but  close  co¬ 
operation  between  the  two  in  the  present  and  succeeding 
generations  is  the  desire  to-day  of  a  great  number  of 
influential  leaders  in  both  systems.  Each  needs  the 
other.  Public  education  must  have  a  spiritual  dynamic, 
since  it  must  develop  motives  that  draw  their  power  not 
from  physical  but  from  spiritual  passions.  Hence  the 
public  schools  must  cooperate  with  church  schools.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  church  schools  need  the  technical 
skill  and  the  knowledge  of  how  to  organize  materials 
which  the  public-school  workers  can  impart. 

Success  depends  upon  three  factors. — Three  fac¬ 
tors  will  give  to  the  United  States  an  adequate  system 
of  education,  a  system  in  which  religion  has  its  proper 
place  as  a  dynamic  force  in  the  development  of  socially 
efficient  citizens.  One  of  the  three  is  an  aroused  public 
conscience,  the  second  is  a  trained  leadership,  and  the 
third  is  adeqate  technique,  including  materials,  methods, 
and  organization. 

To  be  sure,  such  a  statement  is  but  putting  the 
problem  in  new  form  rather  than  a  solving  of  the  prob¬ 
lem.  But  it  may  help  us  to  see  where  the  emphasis  in 
the  next  few  years  needs  to  be  placed.  The  first  factor 
is  at  present  the  most  undeveloped  and  the  least  certain 
of  the  three.  Human  nature,  it  seems,  will  never  cease 
to  hope  for  a  short-cut  to  power,  although  all  experience 
points  to  the  fact  that  the  Creator  works  through  long, 
slow,  orderly  processes  to  achieve  His  ends.  At  present, 
America  is  in  a  mood  to  work  for  its  goals.  Short-cuts 
did  not  win  the  World  War,  and  they  have  not 
Americanized  incoming  alien  multitudes,  nor  have 
they  solved  any  of  America’s  industrial  or  social 
problems.  If  we  can  keep  America  in  the  mood  to 

272 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


work  slowly  but  thoroughly,  education  will  come  into 
its  own,  and  the  dream  of  a  Christianized  society  may 
be  realized. 

The  movement  for  trained  leadership  is  developing 
very  encouragingly.  More  ministers  are  giving  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  educational  aspects  of  their  ministry  than 
ever  before.  Labor-union  leaders  are  going  to  college 
to  prepare  for  their  work.  Appreciation  of  the  neces¬ 
sity  to  equip  oneself  thoroughly  for  any  form  of  leader¬ 
ship  promises  to  become  universal,  and  the  cause  of 
religious  education  should  realize  great  benefits  from 
the  new  spirit  which  is  rapidly  developing  into  a  strong 
passion. 

The  third  factor  is  also  being  developed  rapidly,  as 
we  have  tried  to  indicate  in  the  pages  of  this  book. 

Unified  system,  but  dual  control. — We  have  spoken 
as  if  America  could  have  a  unified  system  of  education 
in  which  religion  and  secular  subjects  would  both  have 
their  proper  place.  We  believe  that  this  is  possible. 
The  system  will  not  be  under  one  management,  either 
of  the  state  or  of  the  church.  Both  the  States  and  the 
churches  will  perfect  their  own  systems,  but  in  co¬ 
operation,  as  we  have  tried  to  indicate.  The  principle 
of  extra-mural  credit,  so  universally  accepted  in  the 
public-school  system,  gives  an  opportunity  for  each 
pupil  to  present  credits  in  religion  in  every  community 
where  the  churches  and  public-school  men  are  pro¬ 
gressive  and  helpful  to  each  other.  The  system  of 
affiliated  colleges  and  foundations  at  State  universities 
and  the  cordial  cooperation  between  State  and  privately 
endowed  institutions  of  higher  learning  has  made 
success  here  an  assured  fact. 

The  will  to  conquer  by  love  and  service. — The 
French  immortalized  themselves  in  the  recent  World 

273 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


War  by  using  the  phrase,  Ils  ne  passerant  pas ,  “They 
shall  not  pass,”  when  the  greatest  physical  resources 
were  clearly  on  the  side  of  the  enemy,  and  only  indomi¬ 
table  spiritual  resources  stood  between  them  and  defeat. 
The  will  to  conquer  checked  the  enemy,  when  resist¬ 
ance  seemed  hopeless,  and  later  led  to  overwhelming 
victory.  The  “will  to  conquer”  in  the  hearts  of  Chris¬ 
tians  backed  by  the  wealth  of  spiritual  resources  at  their 
command  can  turn  back  the  forces  of  ignorance,  indus¬ 
trial  exploitation,  and  commercialized  vice,  which 
imperil  the  civilization  of  this  day.  In  the  last  analysis, 
the  future  of  religious  education  depends  upon  public 
opinion.  Public  opinion  is  now  being  aroused.  If  we 
develop  in  Christians  the  will  to  conquer  by  means  of 
love  and  efficient  service,  an  adequate  national  system 
of  religious  education  in  the  United  States  will  become 
a  fact,  and  the  world  will  enjoy  its  benefits. 

Questions  for  discussion: 

1.  To  what  extent  does  the  present  awakening  of 

interest  in  religious  education  seem  to  you  to 
promise  permanency? 

2.  Analyze  the  factors  which  are  stimulating  this 

need  and  the  factors  which  may  check  its 
development. 

3.  Do  you  believe  that  the  religious  instruction  of 

the  young  is  essential  to  the  happiness  of  this 
nation  and  of  the  world?  How  would  you  con¬ 
vince  those  who  disagreed  with  your  answer  to 
this  question? 

4.  What  are  the  principal  agencies  to  be  used  for 

the  promotion  of  religious  education  in  the 
future?  Analyze  the  strong  points  and  weak¬ 
nesses  of  each. 


274 


PRESENT  TENDENCIES 


7- 


9* 


io. 


To  what  extent  will  teachers  of  religion  in  the 
local  church  be  paid? 

What  will  be  the  most  probable  line  of  develop¬ 
ment  for  the  week-day  church  school?  Under 
what  auspices  will  it  be  conducted  in  the  local 
community?  How  should  it  be  promoted 
nationally? 

Look  up  and  report  on  the  work  of  some  of  the 
best  undergraduate  and  graduate  departments 
of  religious  education.  Does  the  nation  need 
great  increase  in  the  number  of  these? 

What  can  be  done  to  increase  the  effectiveness 
of  the  home  as  a  teacher  of  religion? 

Do  the  agencies  for  the  promotion  of  religious 
education  seem  to  you  to  be  developing  an 
adequate  leadership  for  this  movement?  What 
suggestions  have  you  to  offer  on  this  subject? 

How  soon  do  you  expect  the  average  boy  and 
girl  in  the  United  States  to  have  as  fair  a  chance 
to  learn  the  fundamental  truths  about  the 
Bible  and  religion  as  they  have  to  learn  other 
important  truths? 


Brief  Bibliography  for  Special  Reference: 

Athearn — A  National  System  of  Religious  Education . 
George  H.  Doran  Company,  New  York,  1920 
Betts — The  New  Program  of  Religious  Education.  The 
Abingdon  Press,  New  York,  1921. 

Athearn — Religious  Education  and  Democracy.  The 
Pilgrim  Press,  Boston,  1917. 

Stout — The  Organization  and  Administration  of  Re¬ 
ligion.  Abingdon  Press,  New  York,  1922. 

Winchester — Religious  Education  in  a  Democracy.  The 
Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York,  1917. 

275 


A  HISTORY  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


Cope — Education  for  Democracy .  University  of  Chi¬ 
cago  Press,  Chicago,  1920. 

The  Church  School ,  current  and  old  files. 

Religious  Education ,  current  and  old  files. 

Leaflet  literature  of  denominational  and  other  agencies 
for  the  promotion  of  religious  education. 


INDEX 


Abemethy,  Mary  Elizabeth,  208 
Abingdon  Press,  The,  269 
Advanced  Standard  Course  of 
Teacher  Training,  147 
Alexandria,  School  of,  20,  21 
“Akron  Plan”  of  Architecture, 
78f. 

American  Sunday-School  Union, 
50,  56f.,  i66f. 

Architecture,  Sunday  -  School, 
78f. 

Artman,  Joseph  M.,  216 
Asbury,  Francis,  49 
Athearn,  Walter  S.,  152,  157, 
187,  232,  244 

Atlanta  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  149,  170 
Avann,  J.  M.,  206 

“Babel  Series”  Lessons,  93 
Baker,  James  C.,  241L 
Bailey,  Albert  E.,  245 
Bailey,  George  W.,  175 
Baldwin,  Josephine  L.,  106,  159 
Baptist  City  Missionary  Society 
of  New  York,  199 
Barclay,  Wade  Crawford,  160, 
188 

Barnes,  Mrs.  J.  Woodbridge, 
I02ff.,  I05ff.,  159 
Batavia  plan  of  week-day  church 
schools,  2 1  if. 

Beacon  Series  of  Lessons,  117 
Bell,  Anderson,  54 
Belsey,  Sir  Francis  Flint,  172 
Bennion,  Adam  S.,  212L 
“Berean  Series”  of  Lessons,  96, 

11 7 

Berkeley,  Governor,  32 
Betts,  George  Herbert,  245 
Bible  and  Education  Society, 

141 


Bible  Study  Union  Series,  117 
Bishops  of  Methodist  Church,  on 
Graded  Instruction,  94L,  131 
Blackall,  C.  R.,  71,  96,  no 
Blackburn,  William  M.,  74 
Blakeslee,  Erastus,  81,  103 
Bakeslee  Lessons,  103L 
Board  of  Sunday-Schools,  Meth¬ 
odist  Episcopal  Church,  160 
Bologna,  University  of,  23 
Bolton,  C.  W.,  74 
Bonner,  Rev.  Carey,  172 
Borromeo,  Carlo,  25,  45 
Boston  Sunday-School  Union, 
50,  166 

Boston  School  of  Theology,  236, 
245 

Boston  University,  235 
Boston  University  School  of 
Religion  and  Social  Service, 
236,  245 

Boynton’s  Manual  of  Teacher 
Training,  146 
Boville,  Robert  G.,  198L 
Brown,  Arlo  Ayres,  107,  159L 
Brown,  Frank  L.,  174L 
Brown,  Marianna  C.,  48,  106 
Buisson,  Monsieur  F.  (quoted), 

83L 

Bullard,  Asa,  56;  (quoted),  6of. 
Burton,  E.  D.,  244 
Burton-Matthews,  authors,  105 
Bushnell,  Horace,  56,  13 1 

Calvin,  24 

Canada,  debt  to,  270 
Catechetical  Schools,  2 if. 
Catechisms,  varieties  and  their 
use,  57ff.,  88ff. 

Cathedral  Schools,  22L 
Chapin,  A.  L.,  98 
Chapin,  W.  C.,  74 


27  7 


INDEX 


Chappell,  E.  B.,  no 
Charles  Scribner’s  Sons,  269 
Charters,  W.  W.,  288 
Chautauqua  Assembly,  141 
Chautauqua  Movement,  142 
Chicago  Convention  (1922),  of 
R.  E.  A.,  179,  2i4ff.,  217&. 
Chicago,  University  of,  105 
Christian  Endeavor,  The  Society 
of,  73,  144L,  263 
Christian  Nurture  Series  of  Les¬ 
sons,  1 17 

Christian  Science,  125 
Clark,  Joseph,  172 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  22 
Coe,  George  Albert,  105,  182, 
236,  244 

College  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W. 

C.  A.,  243 
Collins,  R.  W.,  76 
Colonial  Schools,  29ff. 

Colorado  plan,  202 
Colorado  State  Sunday-School 
Association,  202 
Columbia  (King’s  College),  229L 
Combined  preaching  -  teaching 
service,  198 

Commission  on  Religious  Educa¬ 
tion  in  Colleges,  246s. 
Committee  on  Education  of 
International  Sunday-School 
Council  of  Religious  Educa¬ 
tion,  187 

Committee  on  Social  and  Re¬ 
ligious  Surveys,  213 
Community  Training  School 
movement,  156L 
Cope,  Henry  F.,  179 
Constructive  Bible  Series  of  Les¬ 
sons,  1 1 7,  244 

Correspondence  Method  of 
teacher  training,  157 
County  Sunday-School  Associa¬ 
tions,  i7of. 

Court  Schools,  23 
Crenshaw,  Thomas,  49 
Cubberley,  E.  P.  (quoted),  5iff., 
(quoted),  130L 

Curriculum,  the  development  of, 
87s.,  i8iff. 

Cushman,  Maugaret,  103 


Cuyahoga  Falls  (Ohio)  church 
schools,  213 

Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools, 
185,  198!!. 

Danielson,  Frances  W.,  106,  159 
Darnell,  Florence  H.,  106 
DeHass,  F.  S.,  74 
Denominational  colleges,  232s., 
265L 

Denominational  teacher  training 
courses,  154 

Denver,  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  103,  108, 
110  - 

Departmentally  Graded  Les¬ 
sons,  1 18 

Dexter,  E.  G.  (quoted),  32®. 
Dibble,  Charles  L.  (quoted),  2 15L 
Diffendorfer,  R.  E.,  106,  159 
Dillworth’s  A  Guide  to  the 
English  Tongue,  39,  51,  88 
Downey,  David  G.,  236 
Duncan,  Dr.,  172 

Eggleston,  Edward,  7of.,  82, 
96f.,  162 

Eiselen,  F.  Carl,  187 
Elliot,  Harrison  D.,  245 
Elliot,  William,  48 
England,  education  of  seven¬ 
teenth  century,  3of.,  debt  to, 
270 

Ep worth  League,  The,  73,  263 
Evanston  (Ill.)  week-day  re¬ 
ligious  instruction,  213,  246 
Evanston  (Ill.)  Sunday-School 
Institute,  228 

Extra-biblical  curriculum  ma¬ 
terial,  1145.,  203 
Extra-mural  credit,  204,  273 

Farrington,  Harry  Webb,  206 
Federal  Council  of  Churches  of 
New  York,  199 

Fergusson,  E.  Morris,  102,  106, 
158L,  1 72 

First  Day  or  Sunday  School 
Society,  Philadelphia,  49 
First  Standard  Course  of 
Teacher  Training,  147 


278 


INDEX 


First  Standard  Manuals  of 
Teacher  Training,  I45ff. 

Forward,  D.  D.,  202 
Friendship  House,  Gary,  206 
Froebel,  8of.,  104,  179 f. 

Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  228L, 
235,  246 

Gary  church  schools,  205ff. 

Gary  public  school  plan,  205, 
208f. 

General  Sunday-School,  Conven¬ 
tion  of  1862,  73ff. 

Gentleman’s  Magazine,  The,  47 
Gillett,  Philip  G.,  98 
Gloucester  Journal,  The,  46 
Goucher,  John  F.,  140 
Graded  Instruction,  early  steps 
toward,  94b 

Graded  Lessons  Conference, 

iobff. 

Greeley  (Colorado)  State  Teach¬ 
ers’  College,  202 
Graduate  Departments  of  Re¬ 
ligious  Education,  244!!.,  266 
Graves,  F.  P.  (quoted),  29ft. 

Hall,  G.  Stanley,  237 
Hall,  John,  98 
Hall,  Samuel  R.,  54 
Hamill,  H.  M.,  145,  170 
Hamlin,  Miss  A.  B.,  107 
Hammond,  H.  L.,  96 
Hammond,  Indiana,  church 
schools,  210,  246 
Harper,  William  Rainey,  81, 182, 

244 

Harrower,  Pascal,  106 
Hart,  John  S.  (quoted),  135!. 
Hartshome,  W.  N.,  in,  182 
Hartzell,  Bishop  Joseph  C.,  173 
Harvard  University,  34,  229 
Haven,  Henry  P.,  98 
Haven,  Nathaniel  A.,  61 
Hazlett,  Samuel,  author,  105 
Heinz,  H.  J.,  175 
Herbart,  8of.,  104,  179L 
High-School  credit  for  religious 
instruction,  20iff. 

Hoag,  V.  (quoted),  21 1 
Home,  importance  of,  266L 

279 


Hornbook,  The,  37,  88 
Hurlbut,  Jesse  L.,  82,  140,  145 

Ikehara,  Mr.,  Sunday-School 
Worker  in  Japan,  173 
Illinois  Sunday-School  Associa¬ 
tion,  169 

Improved  Uniform  Lessons,  119 
Indiana  Harbor  (Indiana), 
church  schools,  210 
Inglis,  James,  135 
Institute  method  of  teacher 
training,  69,  135®.,  138,  158 
International  Association  of 
Daily  Vacation  Bible  Schools, 
199 

International  Correspondence 
School,  157 

“International  Curriculum  of 
Religious  Education,”  124 
International  Graded  Sunday- 
School  Lessons,  I03ff. 
International  Group  Lessons, 
123 

International  Primary  Union,  81 
International  Sunday-School  As¬ 
sociation,  nof.,  I5iff.,  169!!., 
i82ff.,  i86ff. 

International  Sunday  -  School 
conventions,  72,  169 
International  Sunday  -  School 
Lesson  Committee,  7 if.,  97ff., 
107!!.,  reorganized,  183L 
International  Uniform  Sunday- 
School  Lessons,  7off.,  95ft., 
I20ff. 

Imerius,  23 

Jacobs,  B.  F.,  70,  82,  95ff.,  170L, 
172 

James,  William,  237 
esuit  Schools,  25 
esus,  the  teacher,  i6ff. 

Jewish  early  religious  education, 
16 

Joint-Committee  on  Reference 
and  Counsel,  186,  188 
Joint-Committee  on  Standards, 
186 

Judson,  Albert,  prepares  lessons, 
9  if. 

Justin,  the  Martyr,  22 


INDEX 


Kennedy,  Mrs.  M.  G.,  106 
Kidder,  Rev.  D.  P.  (quoted),  69, 
(quoted),  13  2f. 

Kinley,  David,  President  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Illinois  (quoted), 
241 

Kinnaird,  Rt.  Hon.  Lord,  172 
King’s  College  (Columbia),  229b 
Kinnear,  James  W.,  175 
Kirk,  Sir  John,  172 
Knox,  George  Platt,  188 
Knox,  John,  24 
Krick,  Mrs.  D.  M.,  106 

Lancaster,  Joseph,  53L 
Lancaster  System,  53L 
Landes,  W.  G.,  175 
Lawrance,  Marion,  170,  1 72fT. 
Lawson,  Miss  Martha  K.,  107 
Legal  aspects  of  week-day  church 
schools,  215L 

Littlefield,  Milton  S.,  106,  159 
Louisville  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  noff. 
Loyola,  Ignatius,  25 
Luther,  24 

Lutheran  System  of  religious 
education,  271 

Malden  Plan,  157,  245 
Mandeville  (quoted),  29L 
Mann,  Horace,  55,  89 
McFarland,  John  T.,  no,  115, 
236 

McMurray,  Charles,  180 
McMurray’s  four  tests  of  a 
recitation,  17 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
teacher  training  of,  155,  i6of. 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  teacher  training  of, 
155,  158,  254 
Meyer,  Henry  H.,  107 
Michigan,  University  of,  231, 
240 

Miller,  J.  R.,  no,  115 
Miller,  Lewis,  78 
Miller,  Rufus  W.,  188 
Missionary  curriculum  ma¬ 
terials,  114L 
Monastic  Schools,  22L 


Moninger’s  manual  of  teacher 
training,  145 

Moody  Bible  Institute,  157 
Moody,  Dwight  L.,  140,  17 1 
Moravian  Brethren,  26 

National  Primary  Union,  81, 
ioiff. 

National  Series  of  Lessons,  96 
National  Sunday-School  con¬ 
ventions,  70,  i68f. 
Neighborhood  House,  Gary,  206 
New  England  Primer,  37ff.,  88 
New  Jersey  School  of  Methods, 
102L,  148,  158 
Newman,  Cardinal,  20 
Newton,  Richard,  98 
New  York  State  Sunday-School 
Association,  17 1 

New  York  Sunday-School  Union, 
50,  166 

“Normal  College”  for  Sunday- 
School  teacher  training,  i4off. 
Normal  Schools,  54L,  130L 
“Normal  Sunday  Schools,”  132 
North  Dakota  plan  of  high- 
school  credit,  20if. 
Northwestern  Female  College, 
228b 

Northwestern  University,  228L, 
235,  245L 

Noyes,  Vera  L.,  206 

Oak  Park  (Illinois)  church 
schools,  213,  246 
Oliver,  Charles  A.,  145,  159b 
Origen,  22 

Owens,  Thomas,  206 
Oxford,  University  of,  24 

Paid  teachers  of  religion,  222L, 
265 

Palestine  Class,  77,  139 
Pantasnus,  20 

Pardee,  R.  G.,  70,  77;  (quoted), 
138,  269 

Paris,  University  of,  23b 
Paxson,  Stephen,  55fb,  167,  170 
Paxton,  Miss  Elizabeth,  107 
Peabody,  Rev.  Professor,  letter 
of  1829  (quoted),  6 if. 


280 


INDEX 


Pease,  The  Bible  School  Curri¬ 
culum,  105 

Pennsylvania  State  Sunday- 
School  Association,  I59f.,  171 
Pestalozzi,  8of.,  104,  179L 
Pettit,  Mrs.  Alonzo,  107 
Phillips,  Dr. ,  Secretary  for  India, 
172 

Philadelphia  Sunday-School  As¬ 
sociation,  17 1 
Pierce,  W.  C.,  174 
Pietism,  26 
Pilgrim  Press,  269 
Porter,  E.  Payson,  83,  169 
Pray,  Lewis  G.,  57,  61 
Presbyterian  (U.  S.  A.)  General 
Assembly  and  graded  lessons, 
117L 

Price,  Ira  M.  (quoted),  99L 
Primary  workers’  teacher  train¬ 
ing  course,  1486:. 

Quarterly  Bulletin  of  Primary 
Department,  I.  S.  S.  C.,  I48ff. 

Raffety,  W.  E.,  188 
Raikes,  Robert,  26,  46L,  165L, 
197 

Randolf,  Warren,  98,  142 
Reed,  Charles  (quoted),  74L 
Reformation  Schools,  24L 
Religious  Education,  the  mag¬ 
azine,  105,  177 

Religious  Education  Associa¬ 
tion,  105,  I77ff.f  213L,  237L 
Reynolds,  William,  170L,  172 
Rice,  Edwin  Wilbur  (quoted),  9  if. 
Richardson,  Norman  E.,  245L 
Roberts,  Selden  L.,  206 
Rochester  Convention  of  R.  E. 
A.,  178 

Roman  Catholic  curricula,  125; 
system  of  religious  education, 
271 

Sampey,  John  R.,  89;  (quoted), 
9 if.,  96;  (quoted),  102 
Schauffler,  '  A.  F.,  82  (quoted), 
109L 

Scott,  Miss  Rose,  106 
Settle,  Myron  C.,  206 
Shackfora,  John  W.,  188,  254 


Shaver,  Edwin  L.,  214L 
Slattery,  ^Margaret,  107 
Soper,  Edmund  D.,  245 
Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
teacher  training  of,  160,  254 
Spener,  26 

Squires,  Vernon  P.,  20if. 
Stafford,  Hazel  Straight,  200 
Standard  Course  of  Teacher 
Training,  I53ff.,  269 
Starbuck,  Psychology  of  Relig¬ 
ion,  105,  236 

State  Sunday-School  Associa¬ 
tions,  170!!. 

State  Universities,  23 if.,  238®. 
Stevens,  A.  F.,  n6f. 

St.  John,  Edward  Porter,  105, 
107 

Stout,  John  E.,  245 
Stuart,  George  H.,  98 
Sunday  and  Adult  School  Union, 
50,  166 

Sunday-School  Council  of  Evan¬ 
gelical  Denominations,  I52ff., 
183L,  i86ff.,  253L 
Sunday-School  Society  (Congre¬ 
gational),  61 

Sunday-School  Society  of 
London,  47L,  165 
Sunday-School  Teachers’  Guide, 
The,  69 

Sunday-School  Union  of  London, 

165 

Supplemental  Lessons,  Graded, 
103 

Tagore,  Rabindranath  (quoted), 
259 

“Teacher  Taught,  The” 

(quoted),  62L,  134 
Teacher  training,  62L,  68ff., 
I29ff. 

Teacher  College,  Columbia,  244. 
Tertullian,  22 
Texas,  University  of,  240 
Thatcher,  Rev.  Thomas 

(quoted),  5 1 

Theological  Seminaries,  238 
Thomas,  Miss  Marion,  107 
Toledo  (Ohio)  church  schools, 

213 


281 


INDEX 


Toronto  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  108 
Townley,  Colonel,  47 
Trumbull,  H.  Clay,  82ft.,  142, 
162,  170 

Tyler,  J.  Bennett,  142 
Tyng,  Alexander  G.,  98 
Tyng,  Dr.  Stephen  H.,  54!, 
(quoted),  63 

Uniform  Lesson  System,  de¬ 
veloped  95ff. 

“Union  Questions,”  92 
Union  Theological  Seminary, 
244 

Universities,  mediaeval,  23b 
University  of  Chicago  Press, 
244,  269 

Utah  plan  of  religious  education 
for  high-school  students,  212L 

Van  Wert  plan  of  week-day 
religious  instruction,  21  of. 
Vaughn,  H.  R.,  198,  200 
Verse-a-Day  system,  92 
Vincent,  John  H.,  69b,  (quoted), 
76f.,  78,  82,  95ff.,  134ft., 
(quoted),  136s.,  146,  162,  172, 
(quoted),  228b,  269 

Wanamaker,  John,  175 
Wardle,  Addie  Grace,  48 
Warren,  E.  K.,  172,  175 
Washington,  University  of,  240 
Watts’  (Isaac)  Cradle  Hymn, 
39;  catechisms,  58!. 


Webster’s  American  Spelling 
Book,  51,  88 

Week-day  church  schools,  185, 
I95fb,  263b 

Week-day  religious  instruction, 
I95fb,  263b 

Weigle,  Luther  A.,  120,  188 
Wells,  Ralph,  70 
Wesley,  John,  26,  47,  166 
Wesley  College,  North  Dakota, 
240 

Wesleyan  Revival,  45L 
Wesley  Foundation,  University 
of  Illinois,  241b 
Wesley  Foundations,  242b 
Weston,  Sidney  A.,  107,  159 
White,  Bishop,  49 
Whiting  (Indiana)  church 
schools,  210 

William  and  Mary  College,  229 
Wilson,  H.  E.,  206 
Winchester,  B.  S.,  107,  no,  115 
Wirt,  William  A.,  205ff. 
Woodruff,  A.,  74 
World’s  Sunday-School  Asso¬ 
ciation,  72fb,  186 
World’s  Sunday-School  Con¬ 
ventions,  I72ff. 

Yale  University,  229 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  in  colleges,  243 
Young  Women's  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciation  in  colleges,  243 

Zwingli,  24 
Zinzendorf,  26 


282 


s», 


01176  8738 


DATE  DUE 

MA)  l 

Mti.  2  2  Vii 

6 

I'ih  U  ' 

u  1  TOO 

NOV  2^ 

2018  i 

GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.  S  A. 

